The Redeemer: Awakening [TT.J]

[No Idea]

Ello ello. Thats right I'm back, no, you haven't gotten rid of me just yet :p

But I come with slightly good news...I have started the sequel to my first story 'The Redeemer' Now, if your reading this and you haven't read the first one...well...you could still read this...but it wouldn't make as much sense.

I have been busy reading other people's stories and catching up, and all of them were great I must admit, so kudos for everyone!

So here it is...THE BEGINNING!!!1!



The Redeemer: Awakening



Prologue: He Walks Again

The night was harsh. The cold wind fierce and relentless, thrashed the scattered trees. It howled like a raveged beast. What people were out on the streets struggled against it, and those inside fortified their homes in an attempt to keep out the violent winds. It picked up rotting leaves from the floor of the graveyard, disturping its patrons, but they did not hear it. A few crows fought against the wind, flapping their wings franticly, letting out shrill caws as they did. At this time of night and in this weather you wouldn't expect anyone to be present anywhere, let alone a graveyard. Many people found them too eriee even at day, let alone night. But someone was present, standing vigilant upon a mound. They had been there most days for nigh on two months and the keeper was becoming very suspicious. He had told them to leave many times, but he would find them to have returned the next day. Eventually he had just given up and left the person to their business...whatever that was.

Their business, if it is of any interest to you, was to keep watch over the area and to make sure the plan moved on smoothly. The person watched one grave in particular. That of one recently deceased Jason Fields. For the same two months that they had been there, the grave had given off an unearthly blue glow. The keeper claimed it to be haunted, saying he recieved static shocks whenever he went near it. Now he stayed well away from it, as did everyone else. But not long ago the glow had abruptly ceased. Now the dark person's concentration upon the grave became more intense. Quickly they pulled out a mobile phone from the pocket of their dark brown trench coat. Hurridley they dialed a well known number and pressed it against their ear.

"Father...The time is nearing..." from the voice it was apparent that they were a man...quite young as well. They spoke with a nervous and rushed tone "No, everything has gone according to plan...Yes I shall inform you when the time comes...That shall not happen, not again..."

The man hung up the phone and stared at the grave. But something caught his attention. A sound of movement from behind. The man tried to turn, but too late. A bullet passed right through their head, and he dropped to the floor before rolling down the hill. He didn't even see the face of his killer. Though, even if he had time to look, the mask would have hidden it well.

Now the graveyard was still once more.

******

Trapped. Trapped in the darkness. No way out. No escape! It's all around! Must get out. Away from the darkness. I must be free!

It was early morning now and the keeper had awoken to begin his daily rituals. First he had to open the gates. The old burley man scratched his thin grey hair and rose out from his bed. Throwing on any old clothes, he slipped on a pair of black boots and walked through the door of his small cottage that led right into the graveyard. The morning air was crisp and refreshing. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun could be seen high up. Taking in a deep breath, the old man proceeded to the gates, pulling out a ring of keys from his coat pocket with chubby wrinkled hands. The man licked his lips as he opened the gates. He gave a glance to Jump City, which could be easily seen from the graveyard. Turning around he suddenly heard a faint sound. He stopped and listened intently, but heard nothing more. Thinking it to be nothing he went on, but then he heard it again. Now he was sure something was going on.

It was coming from that Jason Fields' grave. The old man edged closer and listened again. There it was, a faint scrtaching noise, followed by some thudding. His face suddenly became pale and he staggered away from the grave. As if things couldn't get any worse, he caught a glimpse of a dead body from the corner of his eye. Looking back to the grave, then the body, he rushed over to inspect it. Turning it onto its back he saw it was the strange man who kept coming to his graveyard. His young face was covered in dry blood and his blonde hair stained with mud. Whatever he had been doing here, it was the death of him. The old man was now in a state of shock. He felt as if he was having a heart attack. Another sound caught his attention, but this time it was much louder. He turned back to the grave and became wide eyed for what he saw simply wasn't possible...

A hand was now visible above the dirt that covered the grave, covered by the same strange gloves that had been burried with the man. It moved around slightly before another burst through. The two started to dig and shift the mud and soon enough a dirtied husk rose up. The top half struggled to the surface, then clawed its way out, till eventually a whole body could be seen. It was the boy...

"B-B...But...how...he ain't meant ta be alive. He's dead!"

The man shot a deadly glance at him and the old man fainted, not being able to take anymore. Now the man slowly rose to his feet, staggering as he did so. Stretching to his full height he looked around him, wide eyed and as scared as the old man had been. Giving out a silent whimper, he slowly began to stumble forward, like someone who was lost in thought and distant.

He had not noticed the dark figure who watched him from a hiding place. Jason Fields was alive once more.

[Death58]

Yay! You have returned NI, and it defintely is with a bang of sorts. Jason is alive again, and I have a feeling that he has lost his memory again from the italics which began the second part of the prologue. The descriptions were masterful, and you definitely put that thick feeling of despair back into this. Plus, you managed to kill someone already, so it also allows any newcomers to realize that this fic will be violent(if that tone wasn't apparent already from the fact this started in a graveyard). I'm excited to see what Jason is going to get into this time around, and how Raven is going to deal with his return. . .whenever he makes himself known to people again. I have so many questions, but I suppose I shall wait for the answer.

It begins again. . .

[No Idea]

Good to see you again Death.

I've got the next chapter all written up and waiting to be posted, and not being one who's any good at this pre-chapter thing I'll just get on with it by saying; I hope you enjoy it.


Chapter 1: Walking Dead


It was early afternoon by the time someone arrived at the graveyard. A visitor of course, most likely there to see a loved one who had passed away. It was a woman in here early twenties, long dark brown hair, tall and sleek with brown eyes. But what she came across was quite different from what she was expecting. The bouqet of red roses that she had been carrying slipped from her fingers, and her hands shot up to her mouth to prevent a scream from escaping. At the bottom of a mound led two bodies. In a state of shock she quickly pulled out a phone from her pocket, and with a shaky hand managed to dail 911.

******

The police response in Jump City was always quite good, and today was no different. Althought the graveyard was situated a few miles outside the main city, two patrol cars and a Detective had arrived on the scene within half an hour. Fortunatley the weather had gotten better and was warming up, turning it into what a summer day should be like. Unfortunatley for the officers, they were still required to wear the standard armour and uniform. The detective however did not. He was a particulary tall man, but not short. He had a slump in his stance. The man's dark green eyes were sunken and tired. A stubble beard was clear on his face and his black hair unkempt. These signs of three possibilities. The man was either a very uneasy sleeper, dedicated to his job or obsessed with his job, maybe even all of them. But despite his rough apperance Detective Nelson Harris was quite renowned amoung JCPD. He'd not failed to solve a case as of yet. But the scene he stood at...it stumped him.

To his left was one body of a young man and a very unstable keeper. To his right, a grave robbing incident. An ambulance had also been called to the scene and soon enough there was guys running forensics, officers taking pictures and dogs looking for whatever clues they could find. Not to mention the seemingly unlimited supply of police barriers and tape. Then there was the crowd. Things like this weren't exactly common in the outer reaches of the city, so it had immediatley stirred a crowd, all of which look dumbfounded. The woman who had sent out the distress call was being questioned by an officer, and the old man was being attened to in the back of the ambulance. Harris looked around and grabbed the nearest officer.

"First priority of all murder scenes, crowd control. Have fun," he pushed the young officer towards the crowd, not giving him a chance to speak. He walked over to a group who stood over the grave and pushed passed them to get a better look "Why'd they take the body?"

"We...don't know sir..." stuttered the person next to him. Harris shot a glance at him and grunted.

"I wasn't asking you," his voice was rough and low "They didn't dig it all out. Looks like they were in a rush...coffin was clearly ripped open, dirt badly dug out. Must've been a tight fit. Hmph."

The others around him simply looked at the man, not entirely sure what to think. Harris continued to ramble onto himself as he turned and walked away, placing a cigaret between his lips and lighting it as he did. Walking over to the body he looked down at it and squinted. Next to him was a man in white, with gloves on. Some forensics guy from what he could see.

"Give me your gloves," the man looked up at him in surprise "Don't question, just give them," the man hurridley took them off and handed them to Harris who slipped them on. Kneeling down, he placed his hand on the bodies face "Young...early twenties. Caught by surprise. Didn't know what hit him...literally," Harris started to search the man's pockets. The only thing he came across was a phone. It wasn't particulary new "Aha...lets have a look here," now, Harris wasn't exactly well versed in the ways of the mobile phone. They'd had been around for at least two decades now, but he can't ever remember picking one up. But with some contemplation and figuring out, he managed to find the "Recieved Calls" section. There was only one name on there, and they'd called frequently "Father W? What kinda name is that...and why'd he call so much?"

His contemplating was ditrubed by someone's voice.

"Sir?" he didn't even turn to see who it was, but continued to stare at the phone.

"What?"

"I...uhh...I think we better call the Titans," Harris' head quickly snapped up. He gritted his teeth tightly, almost snapping the cigaret in two. Harris wasn't exactly a big fan of the Titans, lets just leave it at that. Slowly he stood up and turned.

"Tell me...do you see any...monsters?" the man shook his head "Super-Villains perhaps?" again he shook his head "Then tell me...why in Sam's hell would I wanna call those jokers?!"

"B-Because sir...the grave that was robbed...i-it was Jason's..."

Harris didn't need any explanation for that. He knew very well who Jason was. Almost everyone in JCPD knew who he was. They hadn't so lightly forgotten the officers he had killed. Harris rubbed his head and let out a sigh, before giving up.

"Fine! Fine...call 'em. Don't see what good it'll be..." he turned and walked away mumbling something else about the Titans, but it was too quiet for anyone to hear.

******

Two months. Two months had passed since Jason had died, but even the day after, the Titans were given no time to rest. They had been called out as they always were. Two months had passed and still the memory was clear in all their minds, and the scars still plauged their bodies. Never had they faced such an opponent, and they hoped they never would again.

The day hadn't been quiet at all. People seemed to rob banks and labs even at the crack of dawn. Many times some of the Titans had wondered whether they just didn't have anything better to do in their lives. It was as if they never needed to sleep. It wasn't unusual to get called out during the early hours. Sometimes they were constantly preventing crimes from say three in the morning till eleven at night. And it seemed that the day was going to be much the same. Their first call was at five, to stop a car heist. Then a break in at the mall and now they had just finished up takling a gang of men who tried to smuggle in illegal drugs. Once the men were put into patrol cars, the press was hot on the Titans' heels, not giving them a moment to rest. The group couldn't hear a word anyone said over the mass of clatter and talk.

"Please! Please..." shouted Robin "We just want to go home...and get some rest. We'll be on standby for anymore calls," with that he and the others pushed their way through the crowd and towards the T-Car. Just as they were about to get in, Robin's comm went off.

"Aww man...do we have to answer that?"

"Yes Beast Boy...unfortuantley we do," Robin flipped it open. He didn't get a chance to say hello, the person the other end beat him to it.

"We got a situation down here at the Cross Road graveyard," the man's voice was rough and he sounded as if he wasn't pleased with something.

"What's going on?"

"Like I said, there's a situation that apparently requires your presence. So don't keep us all waiting, we really are quite a busy group of men and women."

There was a click as whoever it was hung up. The group didn't really know what to say, so they didn't say anything. Instead they just got in the car and headed towards their new destination.

******

Harris stood waiting impatiently. He wasn't happy about calling the Titans, and he wasn't happy about having to meet them or the likely event of having to follow what they say. And so he continued to mumble angrily to himself, as blue lights flashed about him and a people rushed about him. Soon enough his waiting was put to an end as the crowd that had massed started to part from the back. A group of five people slowly moved through them, and the crowds uproar became even louder. As Harris watched on, he rolled his eyes and lit up another cigaret. Eventually the group reached the gates and tucked underneath the barrier. Harris walked over to met them. Without word or warning, he cut in front of the group. They managed to stop in time and looked at the man in confusion. Harris stood silently, glaring at each of them in turn, looking them up and down, as if he were sizeing them up. He drew a long breath, inhaling as much as he could, before letting the smoke blow towards the Titans. With a slight cough Robin started to speak.

"Can we help you?"

"I dunno...can you?" the Titans gave him a strange look "Detective Harris, JCPD. Follow me please."
He turned away and started to walk down the path. Without question the Titans followed.

"What happened here?"

"That's what we're tryin' to work out kid. So far we got murder, breaking and entering and grave robbing. That's why we called you..."

"Grave robbing? But why would that involve us?"
Harris stopped and turned, giving Robin a stern look.

"Take it in a moment...think about it..."

Raven looked at the man deeply and delved into his mind.

"Jason's grave has been...robbed..." she stated with a suttle tone of distress, but it went unnoticed.

Harris now turned his attention to her.

"Hmph, smart guess kid."

Once again he spun round and started walking again. The Titans now followed him in a hurry.

"Recently, we're not sure when, the body of one Jason Fields was dug up and taken. By who, we don't know. When, we don't know. Why, you guessed it kids, we don't have a ****ing clue," he stopped at the grave and indicated to an old man who sat in an ambulance "And old man senial right there ain't been much help either."

The Titans stood around the grave, a mix of expressions upon their faces ranging from steely hardy looks, to utterly confused and even one Starfire who was actually quite concerned. Robin however, turned to Harris with a steel like look.

"What exactly did the old man say?" Harris returned the boy's look with an even colder one.

"Not much. He's still in a state of shock. Something about someone who shouldn't be alive. I dunno...we reckon he's just seein' things, I mean...he looks about eighty. I wouldn't be surprised if he were just seein' things."

"We'll decide that," Robin turned away from him before the man could even react. He came to Raven's side and placed his hand on her shoulder "Raven I need to you use your powers and find out as much as you can. We need to know what really happened."

******

This place seems so...familiar, but new. Strange. Unkown. My home perhaps? Or just my mind playing tricks? How can I be sure? Where am I to go? And who should I expect to find there?

Many questions will run through your head when you've lost all memory, but few words are spoken. Silently a ragged man walked down the streets of Jump City. He seemed lost, scared and unaware of anyone else around him. His hair was ruffled and dirty, skin as white as a sheet. The clothes he wore were dirt ridden and torn. And his grey eyes bloodshod and lifeless. It was as if he had no soul. As if he walked when he shouldn't. The people who passed him, though knowing him, did not recognise him. They merely avoided him, ignored him. And he in turn ignored them. Soon enough he came across an alley, and for some unexplainable reason, he had the urge to go down it. Slowly he turned and entered the shadows cast by the tower buildings either side. It was a dank, horrid place that smelt just as bad as it looked. He had thought he was alone in this place, but a dark shaded figure stood ahead of him. It was impossible to make out any features in the shadows, all he knew was that the man stood slightly taller than him.

"Wh-Who are you?"

"The question is my dear boy...who are you?" there was a silence between the two for a few moments "I don't think you quite know do you?"

"What do you want?"

"Only to help. I can show you who you are...Jason."

"...How?"

"Follow me, and all shall become clear."

[Death58]

Good to see you again Death.It's my pleasure. . .Anyways, I like the tone that you've set for the story already. You really drove home the point that the Titans are always fighting one monster, villain, gang, ect. no matter what's going on in their lives. . .and from the way the Titans were all reacting it seemed as thought they are really getting wore down emotionally and physically. I really enjoyed the ending of the chapter with Jason meeting someone whom I can only assume is not really there to help him. . .From one particular line, I'm sure I know exactly who it is, but I think that I'll wait for the reveal in the coming chapters instead. Now, get to the next chapter, quickly. You've peeked my curiousity as to where this revelation is going to lead the Titans, especially Raven's reaction, and you put it so early in the fic.

[No Idea]

Right then, with the last story I got new chapters to you much quicker than I have so far. That's because with this one I'm trying to put a little more thought into the matter. On that note I've also decided that the first story could use some re-writting, which I will do so while writing this one. It'll be posted up all together once I finish it.

This chapter sets out exactly the direction in which we'll be heading this time around...a very...destructive and blood filled direction :evil:

Enjoy!


Chapter 2: Revelation

The crowd was unwilling to dispurse, standing strong and in numbers. Though they were quite some distance from the scene, it still grasped their interest enough to keep them standing there under the increasing heat. A secure police barrier had been setup and armed guards stood at each barricade, surveying the crowd. Back in the graveyard, Raven prepared herself for the given task. She knew straight off it would be difficult. So many people passed through this place and so many spirits wondered here that finding a specific moment in time wouldn't be easy at all. But the girl was determind enough to try. As she got ready the other Titans helped to scope out the area while Robin went over to the gravekeeper with Harris, who stayed as cold and uncaring as before. The boy could think of no reason for why he showed such dislike for them, but he wasn't here to cause awkward situations. All that there was to do was to try and find out exactly what happened. Harris led him to the back of an ambulance where the old man sat. A heavy blanket was wrapped around him and a cup of coffee was being held in his shakey hands. He gave each of them a glance before looking back into the cup, letting out a slight whimper each time.

"What'd you say he told you?" Robin asked Harris, who gave him another cold look.

"Like I said, he keeps rambling on about the samething over and over. Someone who's alive when they should be dead, or something like that," Harris shook his head "Everything must've been too much for the old guy. I wouldn't go by what he says too much..."

"Well, he's our only witness, we've got to try and get some useful information from him."

"Give it a shot if ya want. I got more important things ta do," with that he left Robin by the ambulance.
Slowly the boy lifted himself into the back and sat opposite the man, who still couldn't keep eye contact with him.

"Hey there..." the man simply grunted "Care to tell me your name?" he was given no answer at all this time "Please, I just want to help and figure out what happened..."

The weary old man looked up at him with scared brown eyes. He struggled to get the words out, but eventually managed it.

"D-D...DD...Dav...David..."

"Okay David, you need to calm down," Robin placed his hand on David's left shoulder and got him to look up "I need to ask you a few questions about earlier today, alright?" the man slowly nodded "Good. What time did you wake up today?"

"About...f-f...five in tha mornin'...l-l-l...like usual," he stuttered nervously.

"What did you do when you got up? And what happened?"

"Opened...the...front gates, then...a...a noise!"

"What noise?"

"A noise! Scratching! Digging!"

"David, calm down!" Robin quickly placed his other hand on David's other shoulder "You have to stay calm."

"How...how...just...how..."

"How what?"

"Not possible...no...impossible...can't be true...can't be real...not possible," the man continued to mumble like this. He was gone again. Robin let out a sigh of defeat and left the man to sit alone and calm down again. It seemed that Harris had been right. He just hoped that Raven was having more luck.

The girl sat alone, floating just above the ground right next to the grave. She was still in a deep trance, repeating the same magic words over and over again. Such a thing required a mass amount of concentration, especially with all that was happening around her. But she managed. As she had guessed, finding the information they needed was difficult. Many images flashed through her mind, and she could only catch glimpses of what was needed.

The sound of wood being broken. Digging. The death of someone. Then...a person standing over the grave.
She couldn't hold on long enough to find out exactly who was standing over the grave. It could have been anyone. Suddenly her trance broke and Raven gently touched the ground with both feet. Robin had been watching and came over to her once she was done. The girl turned to face him.

"Anything?" she slowly shook her head. Robin let out another sigh. The other Titans joined both of them, eager to find out anything new. Their tasks had left them with just about the same information "We've done all we can here..."

"We can't just leave now!" Beast Boy protested.

"There's nothing else we can do...I'll make sure that any new information is sent straight to us," slowly he started to walk away from the scene.

"Jason was our friend," shouted Cyborg.

"Yeah...he was your friend."

******

He knew not who this person was, what they wanted, how they knew him...and yet he followed them. He cared not to where or why. The urge to know far out weighed any caution within his mind. So slowly he followed the man through the streets and alleyways. The two seemed to cut right through the crowd of people, everyone parting to the sides as they approached. The man he followed wore a hooded cloak hiding his identity and the boy's face was so scared, dirty and torn that it was unrecognizable. Eventually they came to one of the tallest buildings in Jump City. Going down one of the alley's, the man started the long climb up the fire escape steps.

******

The dazed man had no idea how long it took to reach the rooftop, it all seemed so hazey. Now the mysterious person he had followed there walked to one of the edges of the rooftop. The sun shone in the sky ahead of them.

"Come Jason...to my side," the man jestured for him to join him. Without question he did so and stood at the edge. Casting his arm through the air the man spoke again "This is Jump City," the light of the sun gleamed on each window "It is a very advanced and rich place, bustling with people from all walks of life. Hardly anyone is without a job. The economy is about as healthy as you can get..." there was a long pause as Jason looked over the city with amazement "Yet...there are some who would see it destroyed. Villains...murderers, rapists, theives. They are everywhere in this world. But the people are blind to this threat. Hazed by a group of people," the man looked at Jason "They call themselves...'Heroes' I say...they are fools. Controlled by those who try to drive this city into hell. The Teen Titans. They threaten this city Jason and there is only one way to prevent them," now Jason looked to him "You must take control of what is your's. These people. This city. They need you Jason. Your people! Your city! Take it Jason! Before it is destroyed!"

A slight smile crept to the young man's face.

"What is mine...yes...it will be mine. But how shall I do this?"

"That is what I am here for Jason. To guide you on this path. As one, we shall take Jump City. For the sake of those who cannot see the threat," there was another pause "Come! There is much to be done!"

With that, the two left the building. Jason gave one last look to the city and gave a stiffled laugh.

[Death58]

Well, you are once again making this the dark tone that I've come to expect from you. That's a good thing, I'm addicted to dark stuff. Jason is being played once again, and after his last outburst on the citizens of Jump City in the first story, I'm afraid(or eager. . .)to see what trouble he's going to wreak upon them now. Robin doesn't seem to interested in figuring out what happened to Jason either. This part right here"Jason was our friend," shouted Cyborg.

"Yeah...he was your friend."definitely makes one assume that Robin cares nothing about Jason. . .but the other Titans seem to all care about him. This is gonna get good. . .and bloody. Yeah, real bloody. Uh-Erm-Yeah. This was good NI, now get to the next chapter soon!

[SecretNinja]

I dont think Robin actually ever did care...Good story! I like i like. Keep up the good work :)

[No Idea]

Right right. I've managed to finally complete the next chapter. It throws some nice stuff around, but things will become quicker soon enough. I've also decided to edit the previous chapters a bit to fit in with the re-write I'm currently working on. There won't be any major changes, but still.

Anyway, sorry for the long wait and suc but I'm still figuring out where this story will go during the first few chapters and such because things do start getting a little...complicated along the way.

I hope you enjoy this next chapter.


Chapter 3: A New You

He knew not to where the man had led him. His purpose in this place was still relatively unkown. All he knew for sure was that he was prepared for anything and no-one would stand in the way of his newly appointed goal. The man gave little thought to its reasonings. There was just an unexplain urge within to complete it at all costs. But there were few that could have forseen what was to happen, for even from the very moment that he had been told of this "goal", dark plots had started forming in his mind. He could give no reason for them, yet, they made him smile. But not in the happy way. In the way you'd expect a psycopath to smile.

So now, after being led to the very outer reaches of the city, down a long dark shaft and through many metal covered corridors, he came to what could be called the control room. An uncountable amount of computers were setup into neat lines and small sections, each emitting an odd beeping sound every so often. The lights of their screens provided most of the light in the room, out done only by the mass amount of screens that were lay out across the wall. Some were considerably larger than others and each one showed something different happening. The last noteable thing was a large single chair that lay directly in the centre of the room surrounded by yet more computers. It was sleeky, and though it didn't look it, surprisingly comfortable. A small control panel was on the left arm rest, with many different buttons. He couldn't start to guess what each one did. To go along with all this, there were many strange men dotted around the room, working on different things at different computers. They were all hunched over, with long arms that dangled at their sides as they walked. There fingers were strangley pointed at the tip, and all were hidden behind a mask.

The man, who had till then been covered by a large cloak, revealed himself. He had a well built form and was clearly strong. Though at a considerable height, the man stood with good posture and seemed to give the feeling that he believed he was superior. Like the workers around them, he too wore a mask of a similar design, though his one eye was covered. Slowly he sat down upon the chair and signalled for his new accomplise to come at his side once again.

"Here you will learn all there is to know in order to 'save' this city," he said with an air of confidence "I trust you remember the way here well?"

"Well enough," was the man's simple reply.

"Good. You shall be led to your quarters. There you will find your new suit and armour."

"Armour?"

"Of the highest quality. It's a dangerous world out there Jason. We wouldn't want you to go get hurt now would we?" there was a certain hint of patronage to the man's tone.

A worker suddenly appeared at Jason's side and without another word he followed it to his new quarters.

******

Who would want to steal the body of Jason? True after past events he was not the most favoured person within the city, the death toll having being counted into the high fourties and that particular part of the city still being partly ruined. But was there someone angry enough to do such a thing. The Titans certainly couldn't see it as a possibility. Then there was the ever present fact that someone had taken it for a purpose, and they doubted that their purpose was with good intent. And yet, through all their worrying, little was done to actually find who had done it and why. The memories of what had happened in previous months was still very much clear in their minds, and Robin was less than willing to really care an awful lot about the whole situation. But nothing they could think of quite matched what was truely happening and what was to be. Then again, they couldn't really know that the whole thing hadn't actually ended. Not yet. Not by a long shot.

******

It was around midday now in Jump City. There was quite a number of people on the street below his window, walking past the Police Station. Harris looked down at them from behind the window shades, contimplating, wondering, as he always did. It was another day and yet another crime reported. Being a detective the job of figuring it out had been landed on his desk, but so far he was stuck at a dead end. Just behind him was his desk, a mass pile of various papers and files scattered across it. An ash tray tittered on the edge and a few newspapers lay on it. Up against the right of the desk was a bin that hadn't been emptied for a considerable amount of time and near the door was a coat hanger which was never actually used, Harris just threw his coat onto the wooden chair.

Now, although he didn't much like the task he had been assigned to Harris didn't want to fall out anymore with the Captain, who already threatened to suspend him not two days again. So he felt obliged to drag on and get this whole thing out of the way as soon as he could. Then, the phone, which was currently burried beneath a landslide of yet more papers, unexpectedly started to ring. It had been a long time since anyone had called him on that phone. Quickly he pushed aside the papers and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Detective Harris I persume?"
"Who wants to know?"

"Someone who may become your most useful ally in the coming weeks."
"Ally? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I have some answers to your questions. Not all is what it seems with this so called 'grave robbery'"
"Look here pal I..."

"Meet me behind the Theatre at eleven tonight. No guns, no-one else. I am simply here to help."
Before Harris could say anything else the other person hung up. With a puzzled expression he slowly put the phone back on the hook. It seemed like there was something bigger to this whole thing. He looked up at the clock above his door. It was eight o'clock. Plenty of time to think a bit more about what could be going on.

******

The robot led him to a large steel door and left him there. The man took a single step towards it and it swept open revealing a large plain room. Upon entering he could see a single bed to his right with a white cover, and to his right was a retina scan. Curiosity over took him and he placed his eye close to it. His eye was quickly scanned and a toneless voice stated "Identity Confirmed" Suddenly the wall parted from the middle and a large rack crawled forward, upon it lay a strange black body suit, a helmet with a blue visor and respiator that would cover his entire head and a cloak large enough to incase his whole body. The body suit had very slight tube like material running over it which all connected to a single large circle on its back. The helmet had three wire like things that also seemed to be connected to the circle. The were also a pair of black boots with large metal soles.

Looking down at the pair of gloves that he wore Jason suddenly realised they were of the same design. With a clear smile on his face, he began to put the suit on, leaving the helmet off however. Once all was connected he felt a sudden surge of energy as a blue substance ran through the tubes in the suit and came to the circle. He felt...stronger almost super human. Invincible even. At that moment a voice sounded from an inter-comm in the corner of his room.

"Return to the control room. I have a task for you."

The man slowly made his way back to the control room, fixing the helmet in place as he did so and throwing the hood of his cloak up.

[Death58]

Jason is so going to kick the ass of anyone that comes near him now that he's back in powers. Seriously though, it's great to see him at full power again for the simple reason that he is so blasted cool! It also seems like Slade really has something intricate planned out. I really like, though, how you keep it in third person, but still make it from Jason's POV. IE, you don't actually use Slade's name. That's really quite a brilliant way to do it, and all of us readers are going, "Hey, I know who that is, but Jason doesn't! He's so totally screwed!" Yeah, that's at least how I saw it. Well, get to the next chapter, it's getting good!:anime: Like always, NI, like always.

[SecretNinja]

Oh Jesus....Hes back in buisiness. We're going to need some backup...:P

This is sweet NI! I cant wait for the action....its going to be GREAT.

Peace out. -S-N-

[No Idea]

Oh Jesus....Hes back in buisiness. We're going to need some backup...:P


Peace out. -S-N-


Hehe, totally gonna use that line later on.

Anyway. Super fast writing action-ness! Oh yeah, next chapter already. Galactic domination became a little tedious :p

And yeah, I realised one month late that I've been about these parts for a year now. Wowzers...and I still haven't built that Death Ray, but don't worry, me Leadie and Mr. Fuggles are still hard at work on it. Soon, oh yes soon, we shall be the victors at long last! But in all serious-ie-ness, its been a whirlpool of fun for me. I may not be all to well known and what not, or getting around posting stuff, I more lurk about and read not being one too good at commenting about things (unless of course you WANT one line replies to your stories :P) And yeah, I'd like to take this time out of our usual scheduling (or however you spell it. Thats right, I'ma writer and I suck at spelling!) to say thanks to anyone and everyone who read my story(ies) (and to Death's one year post which remind me of mine! Boy you better not leave or I'll get Leadie and Mr. Fuggles to hunt ch'you down, and trust me it won't be pleasent!) And to you lurking lurkers....yo. Exit stage forward! *flys away*

So yeah, I like this chapter and I hope you guyses will too. (and I'll be very impressed if anyone spots the quote in this and tells me what its from) Also, heres a picture of Harris' gun, just in case: http://www.policeguide.com/sw9e.jpg


Chapter 4: Allies and Enemies

One minute past eleven o'clock. Not exactly on time, but it was a close call. The risk that he was taking here was immense, out on a limb as they say. Harris had no clue or idea as to who this person could possibly be. The voice was unfamiliar, and so was his current surroundings infact. He couldn't say he was much of a fan of the Theatre. True, few people even bothered to visit it anymore. Jump City's populace had a majority of younger people, and they were more swayed by the flashy lights of game stores and big time attraction. So the only thing that Harris could take a guess at with this person was that they were quite an aged man. The alley behind the Theatre was dark, dank, and horrid. The detective didn't even want to think what was emitting the vile stench. His footsteps echoed off the walls and came back to him, it all seemed like a setup for his murder, and without thought his left hand hung close to the holstered SW9E firearm.

"You're late Nelson," a voice sounded from just to his right and Harris snapped to it's location, bringing a shadowed figure into view. They stood with a hunch in their posture, but were clearly quite tall at full stretch.

"Bad traffic."

"Hmph," the man stepped around, but made sure to stay into the shadows "I'm sure you have many questions, and in time they may be answered."

"No, they will be answered, like for instance...who the **** are you?"

"Now, now detective. No need to become so hostile. Remember, we will become allies in this."

"Last I checked 'allies' didn't keep secrets from each other."

"Lovers keep secrets from each other, and yet they still make love."

"Look, are you gonna help me or just feed me this philosophical crap? I'm a busy man."

"Ah yes, of course. First and foremost you may call by the name of William, and I can tell you no more of that just yet. Secondly, and quite importantly, what you have gotten involved with, detective, is very much beyond anything you could imagine."

"Oh please, indulge me."

"Your attitude is becoming tiring Mr. Harris, perhaps you should learn to silence yourself while others speak of matters that could destroy this entire city. What you are now dealing with is far beyond anything the JCPD can handle alone. Earlier today you were investigating the scene of a grave robbery, yes?" the man paused just long enough for Harris to open his mouth, but gave him no time to answer "This is not so. What you were infact looking at was the beginning of one madman's plan to bring Jump City to its knees. I believe you understand the extent of one Jason Field's powers?" he paused once more "You do not. The gloves with which he is equipped are far beyond anything else that is man made on Earth. Not only can they heal him life, but after it also..."

"What are you tryin' to say? That he ain't dead?"

"In a manner of speaking. As a humaine person and in that sense, he is. But as a functioning body? No my dear boy, he was quite alive. And that is not the end. The power that he presented before this city last time, was not its full extent. Jason's gloves are merely one part of a full body of the same technology. They will make him stronger than ever before, in every way possible, mind and body."

"But how? Who made this 'suit'? And why did they let this madman get hold of it?"

"Who made it, I cannot tell you, but I can say that it was not freely given to him, more so he stole it away. This is a risk not only to Jump City, but the entire planet."

"Are you sayin' this kid could take over the world?"

"Unlikely. But I cannot tell you anymore I'm afraid. We are done here. I shall contact you further. Goodnight Mr. Harris."

The man turned his back and slowly started to walk away.

"Hey wait a minute!"

But the ma paid no heed, and Harris managed to steal a glimpse as he walked into the light of thining grey hair. He ran down the alley in hopes of catching up, but turning the corner he found the man had dissapeared. With an overwhelming look of confusion, Harris put his hand through his hair and let out a sigh. All he could do was stand and wonder what he had been put in the middle of now.

******

Now upon the large screen was a still picture of a large building that curved outward onto a courtyard, a sign lay on top of it lit up in the night. "JCL. Jump City Labs". Not the most creative of names, but inside worked some of the most creative minds that the country had to offer. Within lay great new inventions, capable of making one man extremely powerful, when put into the right man's hands of course.

"This shall be your first target," the man started "Twenty stories high, a large courtyard to the front fixed with fountains and steps. Patrolled by six guards at different locations around it. The entire facility is well guard with panel-locked doors, armed guards and cameras. Not to mention motion detectors. I trust you will not run into any trouble."

"Unlikely."

"Excellent. You shall enter through the main ventilation network which runs right through the very chamber which you are aiming for. Within is one camera positioned above the steel door. But you need not worry about it. I have some 'assitants' within that have assured me of this."
The picture upon the screen changed to a small chip. It didn't look like anything special, but it contained immense power for such a small item.

"This is your objective. Obtain the new SX-1000 Impulse chip. It is imperitive that we have this if you are to succeed. Good luck."

"Luck? Luck is for people without quality."

It was surprising, even to the man how after only a mere few hours of beginng brought back into this world that the man would take so quickly to something like this, as if it had been what he was doing for all his life. A true sign of how easily manipulated poor old Jason was in that short period of time. He could have told him he was God and the fool would have believed him all the same. The man couldn't help but laugh manically once his new puppet had left the vacinity. But he had underestimated Jason, and what a mistake that was.

******

Half past the hour. All lay quiet outside the JCL building. And that's the way it would remain. None of the four guards knew that two of them had already met their end, and nothing had been picked up on the cameras, their few seconds of blindness in certain areas taken to immediate advantage. One guard stood just at the end of the building, having sworn to of heard a sound coming from the darkness. He looked deeply into it, but found nothing. With a shrug the man turned his back, and would have gone to his usual patrol, but from the shadows came a spear-head of sorts, attached to some sort of wire. It cut through the guards throat with ease, not only preventing the man from calling out for help, but ending him too. The limp body was then dragged into the shadows. There was no need to kill the three other guards, as their patrol did not affect him. Looking up he could barely see the top of the building which he was to climb, and what a long haul it would be. But he had to do so. And so, using two of the spear-head objects that protruded from his gloves, Jason began to climb.

******

He couldn't guess how long it had taken, nor how he had managed without interuption. But never the less he was greatful for it. No-one guarded the roof, and no camera had been placed upon it. Why? He did not know. Was he greatful for that also? Without a doubt. Many vents were placed upon the roof, as were pipes and electrical boxes containing wires and the sorts. The entrance to the main ventillation system was the largest one, big enough to fit to people abreast. Approaching it he produced a hook from his belt attached to a wire. Securing it at the edge of the vent, Jason clammered in. Slowly lowering himself down, he finally came to level grounding and gently rested his feet on the hard metal before releasing the grapple hook. Going down onto all fours, the man slowly went down the single route, which would lead him to the vault which he was searching for.

Eventually, after some minutes of crawling, he came to an exit grid just in front of him. Slowly, he lifted it and placed it aside, making sure to make as little sound as possible. The gap was just about big enough for him to fit through, and so he lowered himself down. Bringing himself to a standing point once more, he was met by something unexpected. Another person was in the room, and as they slowly turned they too were caught off guard by this sudden intrusion. The person wore a skull like mask and metal gloves. A plain black body suit covered them, and a belt lay about their waist. Most noticeable was the large red 'X' upon their chest. Jason cocked his head to one side, then to the other.

"Who the hell are you?!" this person had an aggresive tone towards him. Jason hazard a guess that the man was here for the same reason as him.
"I'm afraid this item is already claimed by me," slowly he reached for the chip.
"Well I'm afraid if you do that you'll set off all the alarms. So, whatch'ya gonna do?"

"Firstly?" Jason quickly charged up his right glove and sent a pulse wave at the man, knocking him to the ground "Secondly..." then he made haste to steal the object, and indeed set of the alarms "And last of all," a blue glow emitted from beneath his feet, and he was propelled back into the vents. The man whom had interupted him now quickly got to his feet, and with a loud grunt made way to his own escape route, having no time to chase down his adversary at that moment.

Jason, however, easily managed to crawl back through the vents, get back up onto the roof and dissapear into the night without a trace. An all round successful night, if not for the slight bump along the way. At least now he had already identified one enemy for which he'd have to keep an eye out for.

[SecretNinja]

Oh....Am i seeing a little future reference to RedX and Jason conflict coming soon? And Where are the Teen Titans?! I mean...Jump City = Teen Titans. Maybe they went on vacation. :p But thats fine...I like when Jason attacks...without them interrupting it just increases his coolness so much more. Post more you ANUS! :p

-S-N-

PS: I guess my secrets out. POO
PPS: Sailor Urabus! GO!

[Death58]

Soo. . .Jason and Red X meet. Bad ass versus bad ass. This certainly sounds like the next chapter is going to be one knock down, drag out, bloody, brutal. . .uh. . .fight. Plus, what has Harris gotten himself into exactly? It sounds like something much bigger than what I can assume at the moment. . .but I look forward for that little plot to unravel itself. Please, continue NI, as usual, this is really really good. I can't wait.

[No Idea]

Well at first I was going to leave that little face off till a bit later, but you've convinced me that it would make sense to have it now :p

Not the longest fight I've done, but this isn't completely about fighting. The more lengthy one's will be coming around later on in the story. And if anything confuses you or something just let me know, because as I've been told a few things were unclear.

Also, here's a picture of Harris' car: http://bcchauffeurservices.co.uk/classic/images/AW001-1.jpg (just imagine it in dark green though)


Chapter 5: A Bad Day

Today wasn't exactly what anybody had been expecting. Of course crime was ripe within the city, even with the presence of the Titans, criminals knew they couldn't be everywhere at once. But a grave robbery? No, that was a new one. Being the first day of inspections, not much was figured out. Few clues as to who did it was left behind and any they could find were inconclusive. The Titans were used to more straight forward things and the situation they had been thrown into was more than frustrating for each one, though the reasonings for their frustation varied it was there none the less. However, their day was not to end there.

******

Once they arrived back at the tower, all things seemed to settle. There was a strange and unusual lull in call outs. In fact there were none till around half past the hour of eleven. The group were quickly gathered into the main room, a large picture of the JCL building was on screen.

"There's been a break in. Titans, move out!"

No second thought was given, the Titans set out to qwell this disturbance. Making their way quickly to the garage they each filed into the car and they were off.

******

Everything had gone well and according to plan, the little interruption brushed aside as nothing more than an annoyance. But all was not finished yet. A swift movement sounded from behind him. Jason was situated on top of the roof of a building just across the way from JCL, so he could only guess as to whom had caused this new disturbance. Upon turning to face them it became clear his guess was right. The same annoyance as before had returned once again, ready for a fight it seemed.

"Quite the persistant one aren't you? Do you perhaps have a name?" he asked mockingly.

"The name's Red X and this isn't over by a long shot. That chip is mine and I'll be damned if you're gonna have it!"

"Then I do hope you like it in Hell."

No time was wasted anymore in setting things off. Red X now sent two X shaped projectiles at him, both aiming for his head. Jason managed to dodge one, the sencond was deflected by the helmet that covered his head. Naught but a tiny scratch was apparent upon the surface where it had hit. Giving no quarter Jason tried to do much the same as he had with the guard and sent a spear head at his opponent. He reacted quickly however and turned to the side, seeing that his target had been missed Jason brought it back, hoping to catch Red X off guard and hit at his back. But this to was folly as he ducked underneath and then coming back up Red X grabbed the rope attached to the spear head and went with it. The force propelled him directly towards Jason and allowed him to plant a hefty kick upon his chest, sending Jason backward and over. Getting back to his knees, Jason looked back over to the JCL and in the distance caught the sound of sirens. He didn't have long.

Looking back he saw Red X was giving no time for rest. Coming at him full pelt he leapt into the air and saught to crash down upon Jason with a devistating kick. Taking action Jason rolled to one side and just about missed the kick. He saw an opportunity instantly and took it, sweeping Red X's legs from beneath him, before standing up and catching him as he fell. This was done with such speed that Red X couldn't even think as to how he should react and before he knew it he collided with a large pipe that protruded from the building after being thrown through the air. This time it was Jason who ran at full speed, fist at the ready to deliver a bone crushing punch. Much like the kick he had dodged, his swing too missed its mark when Red X ducked just as it reached him. Instead of caving in Red X's skull, it bent the pipe over and broke it in two. Now he was left open at the gut and paid the price for his hastiness as a flurry of kidney punches, followed by a few blows to the gut were recieved. But a careless swing for his face was stopped by a sturdy hand. Jason easily stood at least four inches taller than his foe. Looking down at him, his visor began to glow an eriee dark blue and flickered slightly. Twisiting the man's arm, Jason forced him to his knees.

"Beg now and I may think of letting you live."

"You don't know me to well do ya?"

From the X upon the palm of his left glove came another made of a strange red substance and collided with Jason's face, wrapping itself around his head and blocking his sight. This was something he had not expected and it sent him into a state of confusion as he tried desperatley to remove the strange substance from his face. Slowly Red X rose to his feet.

"You should save your energy. This suit is powered by Xenothium and there ain't no way that's coming off any time soon."


Taking his chance Red X sent Jason hurdling to the ground with another kick planted to the chest. He was right, there was no chance the substance would come off, but it didn't need to. Jason twisted his helmet to the side to get it loose and lifted it off his head. But there was no surprise revealing for his opponent as underneath he had a Fleece mask that covered his whole face except for the eyes. Jason now cut through the substance on his helmet with one of the spear heads and ripped the rest off, before placing his helmet back on, setting it into place.

"You were saying?"

******

Harris couldn't even begin to take a guess as to what the hell 'William' had been talking about. Personally he still didn't trust the man. For all he knew he could be helping whoever this madman was. The detective found it hard to believe anything that had been said.

'People raising from the dead? What's this chump think we're in, a bad Fifties movie?'

These were pretty much his thoughts on the whole matter. As he was walking back towards the car, he heard the radio going off.

"We need all nearby units at the JCL building. There has been a break in. Three officers down!"

He soon moved into gear and jogged the rest of the way towards his car. JCL was only one block away from where he was now. Harris flung open the door to his dark green BMW 5 Series and started up the engine, before sending it screaming down the alley and bursting out onto the road, with siren blaring as he did so. At the speed he was going it didn't take long at all to arrive at his destination, finding that about five police cars and an ambulance were already there he stopped just by the nearest one. Nearlly breaking the door off when he flung it open once again, he slammed it behind him and walked to the nearest officer.

"What's the situation here?" the man didn't seem to pay attention to him at first, he wasn't even looking towards the JCL building but one opposite it "Hey! I'm talking to you!" but still no answer, he looked around and found that most of the officers on the scene were looking in the same direction. Slowly Harris turned and looked to the rooftop of the building. There he saw two figures fighting each other close to the edge. For a moment he stood there and watched before snapping back to what he felt should be done.

"Don't just stand there! Get some searchlights down here, and someone find me a megaphone!"

Now a handful of the nearest officers moved sharpish and went about doing what he asked, turning on the small searclights atop each police car. As they did so, another car arrived at the scene on the opposite side of Harris. Lo' and behold, the Teen Titans had decided to help out. The detective grunted loudly and lit up a cigaret, before going to met them. He came into their view just as Robin got out of the car.

"Titans." he stopped a few meters away with a mocking smile on his face "We really must stop meeting like this."

"What's happening here?" Robin asked.

Harris simply pointed to the building and looked up.

"Just enjoying the show."

"Aren't you going to do anything to stop them?!"

"Hey, we deal with petty crimes these days. You're the one's who handle the freaks," he said with a sour tone. Disgruntled by the detective's attitude, Robin went ahead with the usual action.

"Titans. GO!" And so they did.

******

The two combatants seemed to be near equal in speed and agility. But the advantage of strength lay with Jason, who used this well and thus far pretty much dominated the fight, his suit proving to be immune to any attacks. Time and time again Red X tried inflicting at least some form of damage upon him, but was mostly hit aside like a fly. He was tough however, and determined all the more, convinced that the chip was his. And so again he ran at Jason, slowing down just in time to deliever a roundhouse kick. It was not to be so. Jason grabbed Red X by the ankle and tripped him up, before grabbing his other angle and flinging him into another wall.

"This isn't going well for you at all, is it?"

By this time he was infuriated by Jason's mockery and though he knew that you have to stay calm, he just couldn't help himself. So with a shout he speed toward Jason, two sharp X's deployed from his fists and spinning. With all his might he crashed down on Jason with the two spinning blades, but even this was not enough as a simple arm was put in the way. No shield was required. The armour alone was enough to protect him. Kicking Red X to the floor, he got ready to deliver the final blow. But finally the crowd of police on the ground caught his attention.

"It seems we have quite an auidance," he looked back up and saw that five figures stood in front of him.

"I don't know why you two are fighting, but you both broke into that building. So we're taking you down!"

"How very up front of you Robin," Jason chuckled. His voice was unrecognisable to the Titans "But I'm afraid it shall have to wait for another day perhaps."

In a space of mere miliseconds, he sent out the spear-head and with it hoisted up the piping that he had broken in two earlier. It was quite large to say the least, but he threw it with ease, releasing the spear-head as it came around to his target. The Titans' close formation betrayed them, as they were all thrown down. Taking this time given Jason made his escape, jumping off the building and into the shadows, where he was lost. The Titans eventually gathered themselves back up. They had lost one criminal tonight, and the other who they had thought to have been knocked out was gone also.

******

Harris waited impatiently at his car. Most of the officers had been herded away by a Sargeant and were investigating the JCL building. When the Titans finally came back down, he found they brought no-one with them. Immediatley he got out of his car and stormed towards them, a cigaret firmly placed between his lips. He reached the group just as they came to the ground.

"There were two up there. Where the hell are they?" he demanded

"You're a detective, figure it out," mumbled Raven as she brushed past him.

"You let both of 'em get away?!"

"He caught us off guard. It won't happen again," Robin replied.

"And I guess you let Red X get away too. We'll find him, just leave it to the professionals."

"Hey. We deal with the 'freaks' remember?" Cyborg said mockingly as they all got in the car except Robin "You gonna be okay man?"

"I'll be fine," with a simple nod Cyborg started up the engine and sped off back to the tower. Now Robin looked to Harris.

"What ch'you lookin' at?"

"What's your problem?"

"I ain't got no problem, just an annoyance is all," he paused and looked at the boy "You really wanna know?" he turned and pointed at the officers bustling behind them "You see these people. These men and women. They've worked this job their whole lives. This city is their home and they grew up wanting to protect it, just like me. But you guys come along and suddenly we're nothin'! People turn around and think we're not needed anymore, that we can't protect them. Whenever you guys leave they're scared that this city will all go to hell! Well they're wrong! We don't need you, but you sure as hell need us. Maybe you should think about that. Only reason you can stay here is 'cause we let you. Don't forget that."

Without another word he turned away from the Titan and walked back towards the building, instantly getting into things and shouting out orders. Robin simply stood in disbelief. He hadn't known there were people who felt that way about them. With a solemn look he slowly turned away and started a long walk back. Today had just been one of those days where nothing seemed to go right.

[SecretNinja]

Once again...Jason gets away! That bum. But a cool bum in fact.

Red X captured? Blasphemy. Hes gotta get away. I mean hes RED X...he'll find a way.

So...The titans have absolutely no idea? NO IDEA? (ahaha your name)

Anyways...:P

Next one?;)

-S-N-

[No Idea]

Sorry about the wait, writer's block got the better of me so I'm afraid this chapter isn't all that great. Also I've edited the previous chapter (just little bits towards the end so you don't have to re-read it all)

Right. Let's roll.


Chapter 6: Aggresive Diplomacy

Today could have gone far better for the Titans. First a former team member's grave was robbed, and now they had a break-in along with three deaths on their hands. No leads had come their way, only that they knew two people were involved in the break-in: one being Red X, and the other was new to them.

******

Robin went over these thoughts as he slowly walked back to the tower. But as he walked past a particularly dark alley, a movement in the shadows caught his attention. Looking deep within it, he watched as the grey metal mask of Red X reflected the light of a nearby street lamp. Robin readied himself for a fight.

"Forget it kid, that's not what I'm here for."

Robin cautiously lowered his fists. "Then what are you here for exactly?"

"First off, I didn't kill any of those guards. That's not how I work." He paused for a moment. "And second, I think you and I are going to have to help each other with taking out this new guy."

"Why should I help you?"

"I could ask you the same thing. But let's put it this way: you've got no leads on him, and he's bad for my business."

"Are you saying you have a lead?"

"I'm sayin' I could help you find one." There was a long silence between the two. "Don't bother looking for me. I'll find you when I've got somethin'."

And with that, Red X merged back with the shadows. Robin continued to stare at where he had appeared long and hard, contemplating what had just transpired. Their meeting had been short, but it meant a lot. The boy had a feeling that all was not as it seemed. Nowhere near it.

******

Harris still stood outside the JCL building, looking up at its rooftop and taking a long draw from his cigarettte. His guess was that the one had broken in from the rooftop. The right wall beared strange markings. A sign that the person had used some sort of climbing gear to make their way to the top. He couldn't figure out how Red X had made his entrance, but knew he wasn't the one who killed the guards. He had never done it before, so why start now? Of course, the possibility was always present. As he stood pondering the night's events an officer came to his side, a civilian standing to his left.

"Sir. We found this man in the alley behind the building where the fight took place."

Harris snapped his head to the side and looked the person up and down. "Thank you."

With that the officer left Harris with the man. He was thin, too thin for a man of his age. He looked to be about twenty-five or more, messy ginger hair that reached just past his ears. His face was pale and dirty, accompanied by a unkempt beard. In the man's right ear was a hearing-aid. His clothes were tattered and dirty as well. Must have been one of the few homeless people in Jump City.

"Okay Mister..."

"Larkin. Harry Larkin."

"Larkin. Could you tell me exactly what you saw?"

"Well...I-I...I mean...it was dark and...and he was...well...and then with the blue...he..."

"Look. Calm down would ya? I'm a busy man and I don't 'ave time for all your jitterin', so just spit it out."

"Well he...he saw that I'd seen him...threaten to...to...kill me if I..."

"Told anyone? Bit late now, huh? Already told us you saw him, so might as well go ahead and tell us what he looks like kid."

"But, but...I..."

"Oh c'mon just...I mean...anybody...us." Harris purposely missed out certain words and mouthed them instead, clearly mocking the man's state of hearing "Ya might...turn...aid up."

The man frowned at Harris.

"Tall. Wearin' an all-black body suit. I didn't see his face, it was covered by a full helmet. He 'ad a cloak as well, black. Seemed to be glowin' blue in all." He paused and glared at Harris. "You don't intimidate me Detective."

Harris simply sneered and gestured an officer over.

"Take this man down to the station for further questioning."

"Yes Sir." The officer began to lead Harry away by the arm towards a patrol car.

"And if he gives ya anymore **** tell me!" he shouted after them. Harris yanked the cigarette from his mouth and threw it to the side, spitting on the floor and stamping out the butt.

"What a **** day."

Suddenly the detective's cell phone went off. Digging it from his pocket, he looked at the unknown number on the screen. Bewildered by this, he answered and pressed it against his ear.

"Hello Mr. Harris. I trust you are well?" It was the man whom he had met not one hour ago.

"How the hell did you get hold of my number?"

"I have my ways, but that is not the purpose of my call. I think that I can safely assume you are currently standing in front of the JCL building?"

"How could you..."

"Good contacts my friend." He paused briefly. "The scene that you are beholding is just a taste of what our old friend is capable of. This should clear up the importance of subduing him immediatley."

"Easier said than done. We don't even know who he's workin' for, or even if he is working for anyone."

"Oh he's definatley working for someone. Jason is strong, but without correct guideance his abilities would be applied to random acts of violence, achieving nothing."

"Well who then? Give me some ****ing clue!"

"I'm afraid I don't know, but I'm sure if you think it through carefully detective, you will figure it out."

With that the man hung up, leaving Harris in a sheer state of confusion. He didn't know where to start. All he knew was that the next few months weren't going to be pretty. With a heavy sigh he lit up another cigarette.

"What a **** day."

******

The mysterious man sat within his chair, looking at the large screen in front of him. He had been watching all that had transpired, his spy cameras perfectly set up to show him everything. And he could not deny that he was impressed with his new apprentice's abilities. They had far surpassed even his original reckonings. Although, there was still plenty of room for improvement.

Slowly, an old man came to his side. He was quite short and not the most built-up of men, but seemed to be wise, experienced.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to meddle with this boy? He posses great powers, that not even you could contain."

"You're right. But I have already thought of that. Trust me old friend, all will go well."

"Just be wary of him Wilson, he's dangerous."

Just as the two stopped talking, the large entrance doors slide open, and Jason walked triumphantly through. Wintergreen glanced at him once before skulking off down one of the corridors. Jason gave no attention to him and proudly strolled over to his master's side, offering out the chip to him.

"Ah, excellent work my boy. You have done well. I was monitoring your actions today, and they were most impressive. Even faced by unexpected circumstances you still prevailed. But you still have much to learn. And that is what I shall give to you in the coming weeks. By enhanching your abilities, you shall become near unstoppable. Go now: you have done well, but I have no more tasks for you today."

The man turned away from him, and Jason tipped his head slightly before turning on his heels and leaving the room. Once he was gone the man chuckled to himself.

"All is going accordingly."

[SecretNinja]

Oooooohhhhhhhhhh! A truce between Robin and Red X, good call No Idea! They are going to have to duke it out with Jason and the sh** is definetly going to hit the fan! :p

Cmon man write more:D

-S-N-

[No Idea]

Hi guys. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but life got a bit hectic and needed to be dealth with...so yeah. Assuming that people are still looking over this, here's the next chapter for you guys. Its not great, but not awful, if...ya get what I mean...

...Just read it ;)


Chapter 7: The Graveyard Shift

It had been such a strange day for the young heroes, but they had faced many strange days before. Yet, each time they did, they all had the same general feeling of confusion about certain, but also the unwavering want to solve the problems they faced. And although they came upon these things many times, life within the tower always seemed to remain steady...the same. Beast Boy sat slouched in front of the television, endlessly flicking through the many hundreds of channels, trying to find something of interest. Raven sat in her room going over one of many books, most of which very few people could understand. Even fewer would want to read most of the books in the first place. While Starfire stood within the kutchen area, concucting one of her many recipes from her planet. And Cyborg, who worked tirelessly on the T-Car, improving it with many assorted things, when it seemed as if it couldn't be improved anymore. In the few moments that they had peace, the Titans could relax, but those moments were extremely rare.

As Raven sat in her room alone, she held a book in her hands, but did not read it. What ran through her mind was the scene at the graveyard. Though she could not place it, something seemed wrong, something they had missed, something that compelled her to go back and investigate. Slamming the book shut, she placed it on the floor and rose, throwing her hood up as she did so. Closing both eyes, she spoke out the familiar string of magic words, and in an envelope of black energy, she was gone.


******

It was some time till Robin returned to the tower. As he entered the main room, Beast Boy turned about quickly and Starfire looked up with an expression of glee, as usual. She shot toward the boy and stopped in front of him.

"Robin! Where have you been? We have all been most worried about you!"

"Yeah man, what took ya so long?"

He looked at both in turn, trying his best to keep what thoughts ran through his head, in his head. Robin did his best to give a smile, but it turned out more like a troubled smile than a happy one.

"It's fine, I just needed some time to think things over," he replied. Starfire and Beast Boy looked at each other, unconvinced by his answer. Their questions would have to wait however as the alarm sounded and the computer screen suddenly switched on. Upon it were details explaning the situation, which Robin read quickly.

"Where's Cyborg and Raven?"

As if on cue, Cyborg's face suddenly appeared on screen.

"I'm down in the garage. I got the T-Car ready to go."

"What about Raven?"

He looked at all of them, but each of them couldn't produce an answer. With a heavy sigh Robin quickly pulled out his communicator and tried to contact her. It took sometime for the girl to answer, and when she did so, her mood was less than happy.

"What?!"
"There's been an incident at the observatory. Meet us there," with that he closed the communicator "Okay Titans. Let's move out!"

******

As expected for the time of day, it was dark, pitch black even. And as could be expected an eerie silence lingered over the graveyard. It recieved few visits in the day, for someone to enter by night was near unheard of. A great amount of police barrier tape still remained surrounding the entire grounds. At the main gates were two guards, and inside one patrolled up and down the yard, between all the graves. These people however, could be easily bypassed, and Raven did so with such ease.

Upon approaching the grave in question, she immediatley noticed one thing at least.It was glowing blue and as she approached it, a strange sensation of static was sent up her spine. She knew of Jason's powers, but it seemed as if the gloves had remained functioning even after death.

Pulling out a small torch, she switched it on. Examining the grave she saw it was in the same condition as before. Looking around the grave now, Raven noticed that the ground had a lot of loose dirt, and yet there were no foot-prints, no signs of someone digging the grave out.It was a wonder that she had realised these things before, her mind must have been elsewhere. There was one noteable set of prints, but not of someone's foot, it was a hand-print. Then after that came the footprints. It didn't take much time for her to put the pieces together, but her contemplation was interupted.

Suddenly her communicator started to go off. Thumbling slightly, she gradually managed to pull it out and flip it open quickly. Robin's face was upon the screen.

"What?!" she snapped in a frustrated manner, knowing that the guard on patrol had been alerted to her presence.

"There's been an incident at the observatory. Meet us there," the screen went black just as a torch was shone right at her.

"Hey! What are you doing here? This area is..." before the man could continue, Raven spoke out the same magic words again and dissapeared once more, leaving the guard in a confused state.

"What the...?"

******

"We don't know what happened. We recieved a distress call a few minutes ago from a passer-by. When we got here it was too late," the police Sargeant at the scene explained what he could to Robin.

Around them lay wreckage of machinery, smashed glass, and most noticeably quite a number of unconcious people, some of whom were in fact dead. They all wore a strange radiation suit, covering their entire body from head to toe, with some type of breathing device.

"Chang?"

"Well we haven't found his body, so what ever happened he must have escaped it," replied the officer.

"Or maybe he was the reason this happened."

The two were interupted by another policeman approaching them. "Sir," he stopped just at the side of the Sargeant and held out a metal object "We found this."

The Sargeant took it from the man and held it in the air. It had been formed into the shape of an "S". The officer held it up to Robin.

"This mean anything to you?" he asked. Robin glared at it. The young hero said only one thing:

"Slade." The other Titans, bar Raven, were close by and had over heard this. They all knew what it meant for Robin, and what general events would follow. His obsession with the criminal was unbearable at times. When Raven finally arrived, it was too late. Robin had already decided that he was leaving, off back to the tower in a futile attempt to track down Slade. In a worried state, the other Titans followed suit.

"You're late," Robin mumbled as he brushed past Raven. His hostile attitude was nothing new to her, and she quite simply ignored it. Perhaps it was not best to break the news of her discovery just yet. After taking one look around, she turned and followed after the others.

******

There was but one light in the dark, lonely room. It shone brightly over a metal surface, upon which were many assorted papers. Diagrams were drawn onto these papers, and what looked to be instructions. Along with them were many different tools and electrical devices. From the shadows surrounding the surface came a small man, his actual figure covered by some form of what can be described as a radiation suit. Their face was long and gaunt, his eyes covered by a pair of metal goggles with red eye pieces. Following close behind him was another figure, though they were hidden by the darkness. They spoke out to the man.

"You know what you have to do Professor, and it's expected to be done in due time," the voice was clearly a man's, he turned and started to walk away, but stopped and turned just before doing so.

"Oh, and don't try to escape." Two pairs of red eyes appeared at each side of the table and stepped forward revealing two slightly hunched men, with long arms. They both wore orange and black armour, their face covered by a mask.

"Or I might just have to kill you."

With that he left. The other man looked at each guard and quickly started to weld the pieces upon the metal surface together.

(Thanks to Matt for the Chapter title :p )

[SecretNinja]

Professor Chang is ASIAN! ASIAN I SAY! People find out stuff in this chapter and by people i mean Robin plus titans and by stuff i mean SLADE. And then theres Raven. She finds a glowing grave? Excellent. That's what i like to hear.

-S-N-

PS: Dont be afraid of the tiny camel from Canada NI.

[No Idea]

Wow...just over a whole month since I lasted posted up a chapter. Shame on me eh? Sorry about the wait, but better late than never, right? Anyway. I did actually quite enjoy writing this chapter, so I hope you'll enjoy reading it :)


Chapter 8: Hunting Harris

In the ever familiar darkness of the more familiar cold surroundings, a quite familiar figure sat. They moved only their eyes, which reflected the lights of many screens, of many cameras, situated in many different parts of the city. At the figure's side, stood another, just behind them. Slade's ever faithful assistant Wintergreen.

Something, rather, someone had caught the attention of both men. Detective Nelson Harris was concering himself with buisness not his own. More promptly, their buisness.

"What have you found out about this man?" asked Slade.

"More than expected. His progression in the police has been quite slowly and steady. A few bumps along the way."

"Bumps?"

"Well the one that stands out to me most is the accidental shooting of a civilain."

"How...unfortunate."

"Indeed. But all other little things aside, he's done quite well. Lots of people seem to know him, but few really like him."

"Any family?"

"Wife. And daughter. Both dead. Killed in a house fire apparently."

"It's not been a good life for him." There was a slightly pause.

"It wasn't the best idea on his part to get invloved in this." Slade turned to Green slightly. "Why don't we end his rather miserable life? Put him out of his misery as it were."

"I'll call for Jason right away." Green bowed his head slightly before starting off down one of the hallways, leaving Slade alone. He watched Harris intently as he passed by one of his many cameras.


******


Wintergreen entered Jason's cold and dark room, lit only by the slight glow that Jason was giving off. He didn't know whether the man was looking at him, but Green began to speak regardless.

"Your master has another job for you."

"So soon?"

"It is quite urgent. You must kill Nelson Harris."

Green watched as Jason slowly stood up and stepped into the light that shone from the hallway. Still in full armour, he looked down at the old man.

"Where can I find this man?" Green passed him a small piece of paper with an address scribbled on it.

"It will be done immediatley." Jason gave no time for the man to speak again, but simply pushed past him and dissapeared from the room.

Green scowled at where the man had been. He did not like Slade's plan at all.


******


It was almost dawn by the time Harris reached his street. He had been working all night, led on some wild goose chase by a crazy old man. Coming to a rather large block of flats, he parked his car in front. Next to the entrance of the building was a panel. Pulling out a small plastic card, he swipped it through the required slot. The door clicked open and he slowly stepped through, taking off his jacket as he did so.

The lounge area was empty, but that wasn't anything unusual. It was difficult for anyone without a card-key to get in. The floor was made of black stones with little chips of white imbedded in them. Both the wall and ceiling were white. The lounge was quite lengthy, but with large swift steps, Harris managed to reach the elevators quick enough. Pressing the button to call the lift, the large metal doors opened instantly. Stepping inside, he pressed the button for the eigth floor. Leaning back on the wall, Harris let out a deep sigh. The day certainly hadn't been good for him.

The elevator doors slid open again. Harris thought for a moment about how glad he was that his room was just a few steps away from the elevator. Pulling out the card once more, he swipped it through another slot and the door to his apartment opened. Switching on the lights as he entered, a quite new-looking room was revealed. It seemed to be in good condition, though there was little chance for it to get into any other condition. The only room he really used was the bedroom.

Just to the right of the door was a coat hanger upon which Harris hung his. Directly in front of him was a black leather couch, with a glass coffee table sitting in front of it. Both faced a large flatscreen TV, and to the left of them was a set of black curtains, which when drawn revealed a view over the street. There was not much else in the room, save a withering plant and a lamp. The carpet was cream and soft, and the walls and ceiling were white, just like all the others in the building.

With another hefty sigh, Harris let himself drop onto the couch. He closed his eyes for just a moment, but was suddenly and rudely shaken from his rest by the annoying ring of his mobile phone. A groan passed his lips. Try as he might to ignore it, the phone continued to ring. Bringing himself up and about, Harris stood once more and yanked the phone from his coat before answering, not even bothering to check the number. He was given no chance to show his annoyance however, being interupted instantly.

"Wakey wakey Mr. Harris. There's no time for resting just yet, we have much work to do."

Harris rubbed his face, trying to keep the anger inside. "What the hell do you want now?"

"What's this now? You haven't been informed? My my. People's communication skills these days."

"Look old man, I don't have any time for this just now..."

"Ah yes of course, that's the Detective I know. Angry and ready. Heh. I thought you might like to know that Professor Chang is missing."

"Yeah, so? Why should I..."

"You should care very much Mr. Harris. At the scene was found a rather nice piece of metal shaped in an 'S'."

"An 'S'?"

"Yes an 'S'."

"I really don't have..."

"No. I don't think you're quite following me Mr. Harris. It's Slade's trademark, calling card, whatever you wish to call it."

"Slade? But he hasn't been at large since...since...oh no. No. No no no...." Harris began to pace around the room.

"I believe you have put two and two together quite well yourself Mr. Harris." The man paused. "But at least we now know who Jason's working for."

"Yeah, oh great! Now I can really sleep soundly."

"Sarcasm is quite uncalled for. There'll be no time for sleep for quite sometime now. We must move quickly. Slade will surely know of your involvement. He will send Jason after you. I suggest you leave your apartment now. Not even that fancy card security system will stop Jason..." The man fell silent.

"Wait. Wait no, don't hang up!" But it was too late, the man was gone.

"****!"

Harris threw his phone to the ground. Looking around, he quickly rushed over to the window and looked outside, before picking up his coat once more and throwing it on. Picking up his car keys and gun, Harris shoved them into his pocket. As he opened the door and turned the light off, he turned back to look in his room.

As he stepped out, his path was blocked by what could only be described as a something...or someone, as it were. That someone being the very person he didn't want to see right now. A deep and sadistic voice spoke out to him.

"Good morning Mr. Harris." Though he couldn't see it underneath the helmet, he knew Jason was smiling. "I trust you are well."

/Harris stood there silently for a few moments, thinking of what he could do. He couldn't fight the guy, he'd be taken down in a second. Shooting him wouldn't exactly help either, simply bounce of his armour. There was but one option available. Run. Flashing a glance back at the window in his room, Harris made a reply.

"Yeah. And I plan on keepin' it that way."

Harris gave a hefty kick to Jason's knee, bringing him down for a moment. Slamming the door, Harris ran to the window and flung it open. Leaning out, he looked for a ledge of sorts to stand on. The best he could get was a metal pipe. It looked sturdy enough, and he wasn't going to get anything better.

Taking a look back inside, he saw Jason smash through to door and bound toward him. Climbing up onto the windowsill, Harris closed his eyes before making a leap for the pipe. He just about managed to grab ahold of it, slamming into the wall as he did so. Taking a moment to gain control, or as much as he could, Harris looked to his window only to find Jason climbing out after him. Wasting no more time, Harris started his desperate climb up, being closer to the roof than the ground with just two stories to go. The cold morning breeze brushed through his hair and lashed his coat about.

Dragging himself over the roof's ledge, he sprawled out onto the secure surface and gave a little chuckle.

"Still got some gas left in the old tank." he mumbled with a smile.

Rolling to one side, he got to his feet and ran to the roof exit. He pulled at the door with all his might, but couldn't open it. Like most doors in the building, it too required a card-key. He searched his pockets, but couldn't find his own. He had left it back in his room!

Looking back the way he came, Harris now saw Jason climbing over the roof's edge. Running again, he came to the other side, and was met by the ten foot drop he had wanted to keep out of the equation.

"No where to run now, little mouse." He brought himelf about and looked at Jason with a slight expression of fear. "What's this? Ah. So you are just human after all? Pity."

Jason drew out one of his spear-heads. "I was hoping for a challenge."

"I ain't scared of you." Harris started to reach for his gun, but Jason interupted.

"Oh please. Don't insult me Detective. You really think that will work?"

"No. But I've sure got a helluva alot of anger pepped up, and it'd just make me feel a whole lot better to let it all out."

With that, he drew his gun and let off five rounds at Jason, each one bouncing off uselessly. Jason laughed at the man's pathetic attempt.

"Let's finish this."

Jason started his advance. Harris glared at him and threw his gun aside. Taking off his coat, he threw that down also. There wasn't anywhere to run now. Like a cornered animal, he'd just have to try and strike out as best he could.

"Let's."

With that, Harris started his own advance. Meeting at last, Jason swung a bone-crushing swipe at Harris. But to his utter surprise, the man moved his head to the side, before bringing his own blow to bare, stricking at Jason's gut. The contact with Jason's armour was agonizing enough, with his knuckles starting to bleed after only a few hits, but he had to try, he had to fight. With a shout, Harris gave a final punch to Jason's face, forcing him to stumble back slightly. A smile found its way to Harris' face, but was swept away instantly as Jason brought his head back around and caught Harris' next punch.

Holding his hand in place, Jason began to twist the detective's arm, before finally hearing a crack, confirming that he had broken the man's right arm. Harris managed to hold the scream in, but he was completely defenseless. Jason kicked his left leg from underneath him, bringing Harris down to the floor. The young villain loomed over him, casting a shadow over Harris, who clenched his arm tightly.

But even in his moment of triumph, Jason was caught off guard by something that, in truth, neither had expected. Jason's upper body was suddenly encased in some form of black energy. Being lifted into the sky, he was sent hurling into a nearby wall, dazing him temporarily.

Harris was utterly confused. He watched as a lithe figure came from the sky, surrounded by a cape, and landed next to him. Looking up, he saw the young face of Raven. The girl extended her hand out to the injured man. He gave her a confused look. Not knowing what to say. It was very rare for someone to help him.

"Take my hand." she said simply. "Unless you want to stay and get killed that is?"

"But..."

"I'll tell you later. Let's just get you out of here first."

With no more questions, Harris grasped her hand and the two became incased in black energy, dissapearing from the roof.

When Jason finally came about, he looked around and found himself alone. With no clue as to what happened, or where Harris had gone, Jason slammed his fist on the ground. Getting to his feet, the young man contacted his master through the built-in communicator in his helmet.

"I have some unfortunate news..."