The New TEEN TITANS! (IC)

Originally posted by starryknight
Athena took notice of the wind changing suddenly and felt it had cruel intent behind it, however, the wind changed as the boy spoke again something was not at all right. The telepath was more then curious now, this wind weaver was indeed looking for someone she could tell, however, the rest of what he said seemed force like the change of wind. Athena stared at the boy for a moment before speaking.

"Hmm...why not speak your true mind, I suppose it doesn't matter really, I am a telepath and to me you are an open book. However I'll let you play your games but know I'm no fool." She explains her eyes were void of emotion. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you wont believe me when I say I'm not the drone you are looking for?"

Austin looked at Athena and began to manipulate the wind “Let me show you the power of the wind Athena.” The wind started to form a giant ball with them inside of it. “You see this is a battle you cannot win for you see, the trick of this technique is to surround us and a powerful barrier to where neither one of us can escape, however, the inside of this barrier has large spikes poking on the inside. Which are to impale our opponents, however when the wind mage touches it, it disappears and reforms when the wind mage is no longer in its reach. The only way you could possibly beat this technique is have enough strength to bust the barrier with a powerful attack or knockout the wind mage before you get impaled.

But seeing how I am a fair man of justice I give you these two options. You turn yourself in and pay for your crimes, or I take you down and finish it here. The choice is yours.”

Athena watched the barrier surround the both of them with little she could do to stop it, she listened carefully as Austin explained his technique, however, erected her own barrier for protection. The teen kept calm and thought of ways to escape but it would seem the only way out was to try to crash her own barrier into the wind prison, however, there was the risk that her own shield would just rip away once she hit the wind. As the boy continued to talk she weighed her options, he was in range of her mind push, she would rather talk it out then to come to blows with this person.

"Before I can turn myself in could you please tell me what crime I've committed, we can set down and talk about it reasonably," Athena's voice was calm even sympathetic. The telepath looked Austin in the eyes and focus immensely on the wind weavers mind. ~Maybe she's right, this is stupid, what am I gonna do rip her to shreds without knowing for sure?~ He wouldn't hear a male or female voice just a thought in his head.

Clive had sat alone in silence in the living room waiting for Athena's return. He was so lost in his own thoughts he had completely overlooked Matt's presence in the kitchen. His train of thought was interrupted as there was a sudden change in the atmospheric energy. He looked outside to notice Athena and one other just off shore suspended at level with him. They both soon became encompassed by a large sphere of wind, and he knew then that Athena could maybe use a hand, whether she necessarily wanted it or not. Either way, being a team player was in his nature, so he wasn't simply going to let this one go.

His green aura flared as he took off with a staff forming in his hand, and he dove out the front window with his staff spinning in front of him. Instead of breaking the window, he simply passed through it seamlessly, as if going through a layer of mist. After he landed, he made a beeline for the shore closest to them, sending a shot of energy into the sand, and as he approached, he strongly swung his staff upward to launch himself with a pillaring geyser of sand.

He was just above the sphere now on his way back down. The orb, despite appearing to be made just of air, looked fairly solid, but he didn't know how much. Still, air was matter just like anything else. While descending, just before coming into contact, he slammed his weapon down on it and fell through into a flip to regain his balance. Luckily, he had balance and reflexes enough to land standing atop one of the spikes just a few feet before Athena. He rose, standing readily with his staff behind his back, prepared to assist his new leader. He turned his head slightly to look back at Athena as if to acknowledge that before returning his sight to the seeming aggressor. Rather than simply acting on his brash instincts, he would await Athena's word before making any moves.

Originally posted by starryknight
Athena watched the barrier surround the both of them with little she could do to stop it, she listened carefully as Austin explained his technique, however, erected her own barrier for protection. The teen kept calm and thought of ways to escape but it would seem the only way out was to try to crash her own barrier into the wind prison, however, there was the risk that her own shield would just rip away once she hit the wind. As the boy continued to talk she weighed her options, he was in range of her mind push, she would rather talk it out then to come to blows with this person.

"Before I can turn myself in could you please tell me what crime I've committed, we can set down and talk about it reasonably," Athena's voice was calm even sympathetic. The telepath looked Austin in the eyes and focus immensely on the wind weavers mind. ~Maybe she's right, this is stupid, what am I gonna do rip her to shreds without knowing for sure?~ He wouldn't hear a male or female voice just a thought in his head.

Austin starred deeply into Athena's eyes when she asked that question. "You know very well why I have to take you in Athena, but if your just going to play stupid I guess I'll tell you. You are under arrest for the murder of my family." When Austin said this the wind inside the dome began to go into a frenzy and then a thought popped into his head. ~Maybe she's right, this is stupid, what am I gonna do rip her to shreds without knowing for sure?~ Austin began to shake his head "no, why would someone lie to me about something this serious?" Austin starred back into her eyes "So if taking you in is your answer I will not harm you."

QUOTE=14653495]Originally posted by Sacred 117
Clive had sat alone in silence in the living room waiting for Athena's return. He was so lost in his own thoughts he had completely overlooked Matt's presence in the kitchen. His train of thought was interrupted as there was a sudden change in the atmospheric energy. He looked outside to notice Athena and one other just off shore suspended at level with him. They both soon became encompassed by a large sphere of wind, and he knew then that Athena could maybe use a hand, whether she necessarily wanted it or not. Either way, being a team player was in his nature, so he wasn't simply going to let this one go.

His green aura flared as he took off with a staff forming in his hand, and he dove out the front window with his staff spinning in front of him. Instead of breaking the window, he simply passed through it seamlessly, as if going through a layer of mist. After he landed, he made a beeline for the shore closest to them, sending a shot of energy into the sand, and as he approached, he strongly swung his staff upward to launch himself with a pillaring geyser of sand.

He was just above the sphere now on his way back down. The orb, despite appearing to be made just of air, looked fairly solid, but he didn't know how much. Still, air was matter just like anything else. While descending, just before coming into contact, he slammed his weapon down on it and fell through into a flip to regain his balance. Luckily, he had balance and reflexes enough to land standing atop one of the spikes just a few feet before Athena. He rose, standing readily with his staff behind his back, prepared to assist his new leader. He turned his head slightly to look back at Athena as if to acknowledge that before returning his sight to the seeming aggressor. Rather than simply acting on his brash instincts, he would await Athena's word before making any moves. [/QUOTE]

Austin was now starring at Clive "and who might you be?" The wind was now even more out of control "look I don't want to hurt you but, if you get in my way I'll have no choice but to put you down. Do I make myself clear?"

"no, why would someone lie to me about something this serious?" Austin starred back into her eyes "So if taking you in is your answer I will not harm you."

Austin was now starring at Clive "and who might you be?" The wind was now even more out of control "look I don't want to hurt you but, if you get in my way I'll have no choice but to put you down. Do I make myself clear?"

Athena had to end this before things got out of had, she didn't want to fight this guy who obviously was misinformed, however she did not like that he threatened Clive. "I'm not turning myself in for something I didn't do and I'd rather not fight either so I'll show you that it wasn't me," she says losing patients. Athena out stretched her arm and forced her way into Austin's mind, he would feel her invading and at first he would have a pounding headache. Athena delved further then she would normally and shift through memories until she found the ones she needed. Athena's body would be still and her eyes would stay unblinking, she was quite vulnerable while attacking the boys mind, however, Clive was there to back her up if needed which made her feel a bit safer.

Gun shots were heard coming from my house, I panic and run home from my training spot in the woods, there's a knot in my throat. "It's just dad's old truck back firing," I say trying to calm myself. However, I speed up using the wind causing dust to kick up behind me. As I get closer to the house I see the door is smashed open, running inside I immediately yell for my mother and father but it would be in vain. I run to the kitchen where I'd find my mom most days, however, I am met with a horrifying scene. My mom and dad are laying side by side, hands and feet bound, their blood was all over the floor and diner table. I feel a hole in my stomach as I stand over my parents trying to process what I'm seeing, suddenly I hear an unnatural scream that must be coming from me. I sink to my knees and try to flip my moms face up, blood is all over me now as I try to stop the bleeding and call out for her like she was sleeping, I even try to blow air into her lungs as I perform CPR but it is no use, I try to revive my parents for at least twenty more minutes, however they are already gone but I can't bring myself to stop. I am crying now and my face is covered in tears, snot, and my parents blood, I don't know what to do so I hold my them a little longer before I find the strength to get back to my feet. I make my way to the phone as I call 911. "why them? They never did anything to deserve this, so why them?"I ask myself trying to make sense of everything and I almost don't hear the woman on the other side of the phone. What do I say, my parents were murdered? It just seemed unreal.

Everything fades to black and I am face to face with a man, however, I can't see his face and I can't make out where I am. The man covered in shadows comes closer but I still can't see him. "You wanna know who killed your folks, this girl right here..." He says handing me a picture of a blond haired, ember eye'd girl. He leans over to my right and whispers in my ear, "Athena Justice."

The memory ends and Athena falls out of the air but steadies herself before hitting the wind barrier, tears are streaming down her face, she must have started crying as well. The teen wipes the tears away and regains her composure, "As you know your parents were gun down, however with my power set I wouldn't need a gun nor rope to bind someone and kill someone. Now, you can continue to believe that I murdered your family and let the real killers get away or you can let us help you find the ones who are truly responsible." Athena says serenely yet firm.

Originally posted by starryknight
Athena had to end this before things got out of had, she didn't want to fight this guy who obviously was misinformed, however she did not like that he threatened Clive. "I'm not turning myself in for something I didn't do and I'd rather not fight either so I'll show you that it wasn't me," she says losing patients. Athena out stretched her arm and forced her way into Austin's mind, he would feel her invading and at first he would have a pounding headache. Athena delved further then she would normally and shift through memories until she found the ones she needed. Athena's body would be still and her eyes would stay unblinking, she was quite vulnerable while attacking the boys mind, however, Clive was there to back her up if needed which made her feel a bit safer.

Gun shots were heard coming from my house, I panic and run home from my training spot in the woods, there's a knot in my throat. "It's just dad's old truck back firing," I say trying to calm myself. However, I speed up using the wind causing dust to kick up behind me. As I get closer to the house I see the door is smashed open, running inside I immediately yell for my mother and father but it would be in vain. I run to the kitchen where I'd find my mom most days, however, I am met with a horrifying scene. My mom and dad are laying side by side, hands and feet bound, their blood was all over the floor and diner table. I feel a hole in my stomach as I stand over my parents trying to process what I'm seeing, suddenly I hear an unnatural scream that must be coming from me. I sink to my knees and try to flip my moms face up, blood is all over me now as I try to stop the bleeding and call out for her like she was sleeping, I even try to blow air into her lungs as I perform CPR but it is no use, I try to revive my parents for at least twenty more minutes, however they are already gone but I can't bring myself to stop. I am crying now and my face is covered in tears, snot, and my parents blood, I don't know what to do so I hold my them a little longer before I find the strength to get back to my feet. I make my way to the phone as I call 911. "why them? They never did anything to deserve this, so why them?"I ask myself trying to make sense of everything and I almost don't hear the woman on the other side of the phone. What do I say, my parents were murdered? It just seemed unreal.

Everything fades to black and I am face to face with a man, however, I can't see his face and I can't make out where I am. The man covered in shadows comes closer but I still can't see him. "You wanna know who killed your folks, this girl right here..." He says handing me a picture of a blond haired, ember eye'd girl. He leans over to my right and whispers in my ear, "Athena Justice."

The memory ends and Athena falls out of the air but steadies herself before hitting the wind barrier, tears are streaming down her face, she must have started crying as well. The teen wipes the tears away and regains her composure, "As you know your parents were gun down, however with my power set I wouldn't need a gun nor rope to bind someone and kill someone. Now, you can continue to believe that I murdered your family and let the real killers get away or you can let us help you find the ones who are truly responsible." Athena says serenely yet firm.

Austin felt the tears run down his face, he had just relived the very moment where his family died. He was starring at Athena with sad eyes.

"what if shes right? I mean the guy didn't exactly come with a bucket full of proof, and isn't it weird on how the very next day he was able to find me easy and not only know who killed my parents, but also where she lived."

He then made the barrier disappear releasing them all from his prison. "I might need your help one day but not as of right now. I have other things to attend to, should I require help can I count on you for help?"

Athena nods in agreement and was pleased that this incident was resolved without violence and as the barrier faded Athena focused her power under Clive's feet so he would not fall into the bay. "If you need our assistance use this," she says tossing a black and yellow communication device to Austin. Athena then motions to Clive that she was heading in, she wanted to check on Matt, he wasn't one to stay down and she most likely would have to strap him down in order for him to rest.

A sound came from the tower as if someone turned on the out side speakers. "Athena, Pretty Pretty Pegasus is starting, did you want me to save it or were we going to watch it now?" Matt's voice came over still drowsy from the pain meds. Athena presses her fingers to her forehead and sighs, "he's dead..." she says as her cheeks get rosy from embarrassment.

Originally posted by starryknight
Athena nods in agreement and was pleased that this incident was resolved without violence and as the barrier faded Athena focused her power under Clive's feet so he would not fall into the bay. "If you need our assistance use this," she says tossing a black and yellow communication device to Austin.

Austin catches the weird device and glanced at it for a while "thank you."

Originally posted by starryknight
A sound came from the tower as if someone turned on the out side speakers. "Athena, Pretty Pretty Pegasus is starting, did you want me to save it or were we going to watch it now?" Matt's voice came over still drowsy from the pain meds. Athena presses her fingers to her forehead and sighs, "he's dead..." she says as her cheeks get rosy from embarrassment.

Austin eventually found the same park he stopped at before, however, no one was here this time. Austin sighed to himself "If Athena isn't the killer then who is? Maybe I should find that guy again and make him tell me why he lied to me?" Austin then stayed there for a while still gathering his thoughts.

"Well its not like I am going to be able to find him now. By now he could be long gone and I wouldn't even know where. I guess I'll never know who murdered my parents." Austin then remembered Athena saying something about titans "The titans huh? I think I might join them one day." Austin then went to the bench he had originally rested on and laid down to go to sleep.

Austin hadn't even realized that the mystery man was watching him this entire time, the mystery man pulled out his cellphone and began to call someone . "Sir the boy refuses to kill Athena now, and is thinking about joining the Titans. Shall I execute him now?"

"Now, Now Jericho. Lets see what happens first, your job is to keep an eye on the boy not kill him. Remember he crucial part in our plans."

"Yes sir" he put up his cellphone and looked back at Austin "uh I hate babysitting little brats."

Early Morning, Thirty minutes to sunrise:

Red X roused from sleep and rolled off his bed, catching himself as he hit the floor and pushing his body upward with a slow exhale. "One," he counted, starting the ritual that was his workout and training regimen to keep himself in peak condition. The whole process took about an hour out of his day, which is why he made sure to get it done early. It pushed the early fatigue away, and ensured he could get back into the suit as soon as possible. Finishing up, he walks over to the wall holding his pride and joy and taps the button. The hiss of hydraulics as they turn the wall around to reveal the Red X suit is a sound he could listen to anytime, and he grins through the full head night mask he wore as his eyes fall on the outfit once again.
"Hey there, beautiful," he says, pulling the suit off the wall. He remembers idly how awkward it had been the first time he'd put the high tech suit on. It almost didn't fit right, and he almost blew himself up once or twice figuring out the gadgets. That was a long time ago, though. Now he knew exactly how each piece of fabric slipped over his body, able to don the suit within moments and end with a flourish that sent the cape flowing down behind him. Even if no one else ever saw, he knew it. "I make this look good."
An alert in the earpiece brought Red X's attention to a indicator along the beltway. His eyes narrow as he sees a small meter flashing incessantly at him. "Damn," he mutters to himself, all too aware that whatever plans he'd had for the day were just put on hold. He was lucky enough to have Athena on his side and giving him some space, even if she didn't really trust him still. He couldn't blame her, though, not when there were secrets like these he was keeping in the proverbial closet. It couldn't be helped though, and he punches the teleport on the suit while muttering quietly, "Just hang in there, lady. "

Later:

"Look, I don't know what to tell you, but I can't help."

"Are you forgetting just how long I've known you? Don't make me hurt you, Ramirez." Red X stood across from his informant, watching the elderly man flit about his office, pulling papers out and leafing through them in a rush. The guy had it good, really, X had to admit. Working in one of the more important accounting firms in Jump City, Mr. Rosario Ramirez had built an honest name for himself, making sure when he closed the books on someone's finances they were set. Of course, that didn't always hold true when it came around to handling more prestigious clients. Sure, he kept the books clean, but he also knew how that big name companies like WayneTech and others had so much money being thrown around, they wouldn't miss a sliver here and there.
It was by lining his pockets that he'd come across major handouts to certain major players in the science and tech industries, and it was how Red X had come across his first "trustworthy" means of acquiring that all important element for his suit, Xenothium. In return for not robbing him, Ramirez kept tabs on any reports of "surplus" Xenothium on his behalf. Without fail, the accountant always had some information, which meant that this song and dance wasn't going to be believed for even a second. "What's got you on edge?"
"Oh, don't act like you don't know!" the accountant snapped at the costumed man in his office, a bundle of folders almost slipping from his grasp, "You never told me you were gonna become a Titan! How do I know you aren't just trying to nail me for good?"
Red X let out an audible sigh, the sound warped by the built-in synthesize in his mask, and pinches the bridge of his nose through the mask. "Because, Ramirez," he replied in an exasperated tone, "then I wouldn't be able to get what I need from you. You're going to be nice and cozy in this office for years to come, alright?" X raises his head and looks at the man before taking a step forward while his fist clenches at his side. The movement sends him stumbling back, and he drops all his papers to put his hands up to his face. "Unless you try to weasel on our deal, got it?"
"O-of course not," Ramirez stammers back, shaking all over as he moves to a cabinet and pulls it open. He reaches to the back of the cabinet and pulls out a file, tossing it onto his desk. "T-this is the only good lead I've got, though..."

Still Later:

"Hell of a lead, Ramirez," Red X mutters to himself as he crouches on the edge of building, looking across the street to a warehouse. Inside were about twenty-five goons taking orders from the JCSA, Jump City Science Academy. While it sounded prestigious, it was really just bunch of nerds who weren't smart enough to land real jobs. Rather than try and work at it? They decided to go into the piracy business, stealing science formulas and other gadgets from companies and selling it back or to the highest bidder. A bunch of mousey guys were at the head of it, but they did have smarts, and knew to keep themselves and their wares protected with muscle men. The suit's alert chirped in his ear again, reminding him that he'd be better suited to getting his prize the traditional way. So he pushed off the edge of the building and caught a horizontal pole, swinging over it once to keep his momentum before letting go. He dropped through the air and caught the edge of the warehouse roof, tightening his grip and holding there a moment before pulling himself up.
That was the one thing he could count on with thugs. No imagination. They always expected someone to come busting in the front door to try and take stuff, so setting off a charge at the warehouse entrance was all it took to send them scrambling. He went the opposite way, and threw himself against the side of the roof access just as the door burst open with a stream of about eight guys rushing out. By the time any of them looked back, he was already in. "Too easy," X chuckles to himself, dashing down the stairs and into the warehouse catwalks. It was a good perch, and he could see exactly where his prize was. There was just one problem. Well, two: the Mad Hyena brothers. They were well known on the streets as the most brutal pair of thugs in town, and didn't shy away from showing it. Whoever forked up the cash to get them in on this knew they had precious cargo. Looks like he'd have to get his hands dirty after all.
Slipping down to the warehouse floor, he moves over to where the Xenothium was being guarded, and took a page from out of one his favorite games growing up by placing his back against a container and giving a few hearty knocks.
"Ehh? Hehehe, you hear bro?"
"Hahaha, you know it! We got ourselves a rat!"
"Lemme go get 'im this time bro! Come oohohohoon!"
"Alright alright, but make sure to bring him back so I can have some fun, too. Hehehehe!"
Perfect, they were splitting up. X had to stifle a chuckle as he heard the thug rushing down the way. He slips around the corner just as the guy shows up, looking around while short guffaws escaped his throat. His brother listened from his perch against the Xenothium, chortling to himself while waiting to hear the sounds of a rat caught in a trap. A howl turned the thug's chortling into full on cackles as he called out, "That's right, brother! Get him! Ahahahahaha!" He was laughing so hard he doubled over for a moment, and when he finally straightened up he heard footsteps coming. "Alright brother, let's see the rat!" The Mad Hyena's brother stepped out from around the corner, and then suddenly fell forward, cutting the other man's laughter short. "Brother?" he choked out while he stumbling towards him.
"Thought you guys would be tougher," came X's voice from behind the thug. He whirls around, practically snarling at the Titan, "I'll kill you!"
"I'd like to see you try, laughing boy," X replies, falling into a fighting stance and beckoning the Mad Hyena. The thug rushes over, fist pulled back as he takes a wide swing at Red X. The Titan ducks under the haymaker, arm held ready with elbow bent, and bring his palm up, knocking the thug's head back as he strikes his chin hard. He steps out sideways at the same time, and lets the last obstacle go crashing to the ground, out cold. He dusts off his hands and rolls his shoulder as he walks up to the equipment containing the volatile element which held his suit's power. "Fire sale," Red X mutters to himself with a chuckle, admiring his loot for a moment before preparing the transport capsule.

Originally posted by XanatosForever
"Fire sale," Red X mutters to himself with a chuckle, admiring his loot for a moment before preparing the transport capsule.

"Aaaah!!" Without notice, one of the armed men who was guarding the sight flew into the room and slammed into the wall. A trail of flame lead him to that point, splashing as soon as the man struck, leaving small portions of fire scattered around the wall. A few seconds later, Nova entered the room with a man upon her left arm, gripped by the collar of his shirt. She continued forward until she reached the wall, before slamming the man into it just next to the previously thrown man.
"You were saying...?" Nova looked up at the man, pausing for a second before finally noticing X. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "What are you doing..." Before Nova could finish her sentence, more armed men quickly approached. They surrounded both X and Nova, prepared to charge on them and overwhelm them with sheer numbers. ".... Here..." Pausing again, Nova sighed. How did she end up in this situation?

A few hours ago....

".. As... ter.." Nova was running. Slowly, running through a long endless white corridor. At the end was a dark male, looking back at her. She reached her hand out, calling out to him. She mouthed a word again, but silence fell upon her. It seemed like the harder she tried, the further it was.. the slower she went.. Suddenly, she tripped and the image of the male seemed to fall back into the wall and shatter before her. Her hand, reaching for it as she cried out-- "NO!!!!" The girl sat up quickly, grabbing the wall in front of her. She was panting. Sweaty. Tears from her eyes. Her clothes were drenched in sweat. Where was she? What was she doing? Was that... a dream? "I didn't know.. I could have dreams." She took a few minutes to recover from the fright before she finally worked herself onto her feet. As she looked around, she noticed that she was in an alley. It took her a second before she realized exactly what was going on. Remembering that she had come to that location to search for her attackers. After properly waking herself up, she was off.

Later... At the Building.

Nova leaned against a wall and looked to her side, using her periphials to spot the guards on the outside of the building. They couldn't be anymore obvious. Still, going in the front was more original then people realized. How often does someone who wants something actually use the front door in these times? She took a few seconds to prepare, raising her hands to her lips. She blew into her hands softly, letting an ember glimmer burn between her fingertips. She nodded once, brushing her palms over her face as if to bathe in her heat, before turning around the corner. She began approaching... subtly toward the guards. She began moving a bit faster, as if to move into a jog. Her foot hit the street-- NEER! a car flew across the road before her. She didn't stop. The men saw her and quickly took action, one of them pulling out a baton. She finished across the street just as another car passed behind her. Their eyes were taken in by the wind from the speed of the car, blinding them for barely a second. SMACK! Nova's hand struck the front of the armed ones face, carrying him forward and through the door, smashing it in. Her other hand threw out a whip of flame that sent the other guard flying back. She landed on top of the man, raising his head and slamming it hard back into the ground to knock him unconscious. She stood up and continued to run inside.
"This way!"
A sound came from in front of her. There were more men, already on there way. But she had only just arrived... They couldn't have mobilized that fast. She tucked down a bit and charged on them. She slammed into the first, carrying him back like a shield and slamming him into another. Nova skid' to a stop, turning and sweeping her leg into the air over another to land a kick on the opposite side of his face. She sent the man skidding across the ground, burning with steam coming off his body. She turned and began striking swiftly, leaving trails of flame from her attacks. After a dozen strikes, the room went silent as the men stood still, smoke rising from their bodies where the girl had struck. She turned before the men all collapsed at her sides. She continued her sprint through the building, searching for someone who could give her answers. "STOP!" another two guards slid out in front of her with bats. "If you can't give me answers-- You're useless to me!!" Nova
didn't slow down, pulling all of her momentum into her right hand. As the man brought up his bat to swing--

You know the rest....

So back to our story. Where were we? Oh yes...

Nova dropped the man and held up her hands with a blank look on her face. She continued watching Red X with a look of curiosity at why the man was there. She looked at the men who surrounded them. She was noting their faces, their outfit, their weapons. She tried to analyze and determine who might be the leader among them who would have the information she needed. They all looked the same, just a bunch of trash working for their higher ups.
"So, what do we have here?" Nova's head rose a little more as she heard the words of a man. He showed himself through the group, approaching the two renegades who broke into the warehouse. This man stood out. He wore a business suit, like some sort of a rich snob. He had a toothpick in his mouth and his eyes, covered by a set of sunglasses, glanced between Nova and X. He had a big cocky smirk on his face -- Nova was unimpressed by his appearance. The man looked like he was preparing to open his mouth and say something, but Nova wasn't the sort of person to listen to monologues. She skid her right foot forward and threw both fists out, unleashing a whirlwind of flames that consumed the area and sent many of the armed men flying back. The leader had seemed to disappear into the mass -- along with X's prize.

X barely had time to react once Nova had launced her assault. He didn't care what she was doing there after her loud entrance. While she worked on her thug, he carefully extracted the Xenothium into its transport. It was the sound of clapping that brought his head up as the transport hissed to a close. "Well I'll be," he muttered to himself when his eyes fell on the man. He was one of the "Deans" of the JCSA, codenamed "Winchester". Just like a nerd to copy something cooler than them.
Not that it mattered to him, though. Nova was more than capable of handling these lowlifes, so it was just a matter of punching the teleport on his belt one last time. At least, it would have been. "No!" X shouts as the canister was ripped from his grasp by Nova's attack. With the initiative drawn, Red X had three of the thugs left standing charge at him. He hops onto the first man's shoulders, flipping over him as his momentum kept the assailant going, and bringing his heel crashing down on the second thug's head, sending him sprawling on the ground. The third jabs at X, but the boy swerves around it and slams his elbow across the older man's temple, dropping him instantly. The first thug finally catches himself, and turns around, grabbing Red X by his cape and yanking him back hard. X doesn't resist the pull, instead using it to plant his foot firmly on the ground and mule kick the guy straight in the gut. The thug doubles over and X whirls around, delivering a roundhouse kick to the man's jaw and sending him tumbling away.
"Damn it all," he mutters under his breath as he jumps to the side, placing his back against the wall as more thugs try to surround him, "So much for a quick recharge..."

Nova spun with such swiftness it was like she was moving in slow motion. As half the remaining guards surrounded her, they launched-- one at a time. The first came directly at her, meeting her rotated punch to the gut and sent flying with a trail of flames. She was brought to a slower rotation, before she pushed herself into the air. As the second came up, it met a roundhouse aerial kick to the side of his head with another trail of flames circling around her like a disk. They went flying across the air before hitting the ground. She landed and ducked under a swung crow bar, before bringing both of her palms forward together in a thrust into the chest of the final one. As her flames were released like a flamethrower, she sent him flying through the air and into the wall through the sheer force. Nova brought her hands back and swiftly stepped in a circular motion, bringing her hands back around to stance.

Images rush through her mind. A boy touches her shoulder.

"Master..." Nova shook her head hard and turned, growling as her eyes darted from the downed foes, one to the next. None of them! Their leader escaped, which means the information she needed was gone too. Without paying much attention to X, she turned toward the nearby window to look out in case she should see something. Still, nothing. It took her a week to find that information and there was no way in hell that she was going to let it get away from her now. She turned toward X with a scowl.
"Where did he go?" She said with a stern look. "He has your item. I need that man alive. You must have a way to track him."

"How come every time we hang out together, something like this happens," Olli shouted as he raced down one of the dark, virtually empty streets of Jump City. His friend Christian was racing a little ahead of him but Olli's question was directed to Matt, who was running close behind him. Yet, behind Matt, there was a group of at least a dozen men gaining up on them. They were chasing the three teens with nothing but stoic expressions on all of their identical faces. About half of the men had a blade exposed on what was supposed to be their left arm that glistened every time they ran under a street light.

Matt kept looking back trying to determine what the heck was chasing them. "I guess the universe is just not ready for a bromance as epic as ours," he said jokingly as he scanned their pursuers. "They're robotic but I can't hack them like this," he stated while messing with a device on his wrist. Matt- with a quick motion- flicked his hands behind him and sparks flew out of his fingers, hitting the closest robot. It stopped and seemed to fall apart limb by limb. "Ha!" he let out as he continued running. There were too many night walkers out to fight here.

While the three boys weaved in and out of the way of the few people that were out at this late hour, the group of men simply barreled over the pedestrians which elicited various grunts and howls of pain. "Any idea who these guys are," Christian asked as Olli caught up with him.

Racing around a young couple who were making out under a street light, Olli replied, "No. But we do need to get them off of this street and away from these people who, by the way, NEEDS TO GET A ROOM," he shouted as he passed them. "Matt, you have any ideas on where we can take these guys?"

Matt's nano suit was crawling over his skin and falling into place after Olli questioned him and a visor fell over his eyes and quickly brought a map of that part of the city up. "Yeah, there's a vacant lot coming up. We can turn on them there," he shouted so the two other guys could hear.

The trio reached the empty lot- which appeared to be used as a dump site- and Matt made a mental note to remember this place next time he went searching for scrap metal. "Okay. Time to Titan up, Olli," he says to his friend as he turns, placing himself in between the robotic guys and the two other teens.

He held out his hands as electricity sparked from them then shot, hitting three of the robot enemies and making them a pile scrap that Matt would come back for later. However, three more jumped at him, swinging their blade like arms down on him. "Crap," he yelled as he and the other two boys all dived and rolled away. As Matt did this, the armor on his arm shifted into a cannon and after coming out of the roll he aimed and fired at his pursuers. "Eat that you second rate androids," he taunted as more seemed to chase after him.

Olli tried to regulate his breathing while running from three robo-dudes. He was using what limited piles of junk that were available as lite cover. Suddenly, the disposed washing machine he was taking cover behind rumbled and was lifted above him. His eyes grew big and he let out a squeaking yelp at the robot who lifted it. Just before it was dropped on him, Olli flicked his hands and the robot immediately froze in place with the washing machine still over its head.

There was a steel pipe conveniently right by him and Olli quickly picked it up. "How's about we play a little game of pool," the newly minted Titan mocked the frozen robot. "Eight ball in the corner pocket," he said as he jabbed the pipe like a pool cue at the robot's head, effectively knocking it off. The robot unfroze at that moment and without it's head, dropped the washing machine on top of itself. A smug looked spread across Olli's face but quickly disappeared when another robo-dude brought it's bladed arm down towards him. Olli used some of his new training and back flipped out of the way and quickly brought his hands up while coming out of the flip and that robot froze as well. However, another jumped right over it and was headed straight for him.

It never made it as another robo-dude flew into it and sent them both crashing into a pile of junk. Olli blinked in confusion until Christian raced over to him and patted Olli on his shoulder. "These things may be made out of metal but they don't weigh as much as you'd think they would. You see how I tossed that one like I would toss an opponent in the ring." Olli forgot that Christian was a boxer but was relieved that he could handle himself in a fight like this. He also took note of a gleam in Christian's eye "Glad to know that you're having fun," Olli quipped to the boy just before running up to the robot he previously froze and swinging the steel pipe at its head like a baseball bat. The robot tumbled hard to the ground.

He saw a few other robots headed he and Christian's way and he backed up as Christian stepped forward. "Got any ideas, Titan," the boxer asked as he held his fists up as if he were about to have a match.

Olli quickly got on the communicator. "Matt! These robo-dudes just won't quit! Me and Chris took out a few but that only seems to have pissed the rest off." He dodged a swipe from a blade and began using the steel pipe like a sword while Christian was ducking, dodging and weaving out of the way of several robots. Olli then froze all of their assailants and pulled Christian away just as he was about to throw a punch at a robot and got back on the communicator. "You're a tech wiz, Matt! Can't you shut all these guys down at once or something?"

Matt dove under a blade as it came down on him which was all it seemed he could do with so many chasing him. "I could, but if I stop, these robo-freaks would slice me to pieces," he explained while still on the run. "Oh wait! I just thought of something," he shouted into the communicator. Matt jumped into the air using his jet pack and landed in the middle of Olli and Christian who were holding off as many robots as they could. He threw down a device that projected a blue barrier around the three boys and as the robot-men tried to cut through, their blades simply bounced off.

"Don't worry guys; I got this...," Matt said while trying hard to sound cool. The teen struck a pose that would be seen in an anime cartoon;

"I CALL UPON THE MAGIC OF THE OLD WORLD! I SUMMON THEE TO BE MY SWORD TO STRIKE DOWN MY FOES BEFORE ME!"

Was he magic? No. Did it make him look cooler? He would argue that it did. Matt lifted his hand above his head and at that time the barrier disappeared back into the device and the electricity he gathered discharged from his hand with a boom frying any electronics in a 400 yard radius causing all the robots to drop like rocks. "Hey, it worked! My dark powers grow mawhahah!" he jest but was cut short when his suit broke off of him piece by piece. "Aw man, I just fix my suit..." he pouted as he picked up his nano suit.

That's when he saw Christian and Olli. With their hair and clothes singed from the lightning blast, both of them had dazed looks on their faces. "That...was...awesome," Christian muttered just before he fell back on the ground with a huge smile on his face.

Olli was trying to straighten out his clothes and hair but kept involuntarily jerking from the slight electrical current coursing through him because of Matt. "So, any idea why those robot-things attacked us?" He was trying to sound sophisticated and hero-like while he was asking this but the electrical charge also made him stutter so he sounded more like he was in a constant state of being startled.

Trying to stifle back his laughing- and failing miserably- all Matt could do was shake his head. While trying to compose himself further, he was able to get out, "I'll get some equipment from some of them and try to see where they came from. But you know what you like," he asked while holding his sides.

Eyebrows and mouth twitching with annoyance, Olli simply flicked his hand in Matt's face, freezing the guffawing Titan where he stood while he grabbed the still-dazed Christian by one of his legs and began to walk back towards town, dragging his new friend behind him. Olli smiled at the thought of Matt unfreezing and Olli and Christian were a distance away from his goofy chortle. Now THAT'S funny, Olli thought to himself.

"Uh Kyle I don't want to keep walking, we've been traveling by foot for the last 100 miles. You wouldn't even let me create something to make us get here faster. "

Kyle and Daniel now approach the great city of the Teen Titans. Daniel was wearing a pair of black sweats and Kyle was wearing blue jeans and a Nike T-shirt.

"Quit your wining" Kyle snapped "You need the exercise anyway. Your starting to look a little chubby. Just be glad were here now."

Daniel rolled his eyes as they finally entered the city, Kyle looked around seeing all the people, stores, gangs and all the hypercritical things you would see in a big town.

"Why are we in a town like this again? This doesn't look like our style so why did you want to come so bad?" Daniel asked.

Kyle chuckled to himself "Its not the money that were after it that's what your wondering. Its the very people in this city."

Daniel started thinking real hard on what he meant till he finally figured it out "We're here to recruit mutants again aren't we? Do you not remember that last 3 mutants that we tried recruiting? They rejected us, you killed them, and now you want to try again?"

Kyle looked back starring right into Daniels eyes "They were human lovers, they wanted peace amongest all even though the humans rejected them from society and were outcast. I won't let anyone stand in our way of creating a new world where Mutants dominate and humans are the outcast. Just being in a big town with all these people sicken me, they could all burn in hell for all I care."

Daniel remembered the pain he felt as a little boy, the only people that loved him was his family. Everyone else abandoned him and Kyle was also and outcast of his own village. Although he wasn't extreme as Kyle he looked up to him like a big brother, Daniel wants to be by his side when he creates his new world but he was afraid of not being able to keep up with Kyle.

"So here is what we're gonna do" Daniel snapped back into reality on hearing Kyle's voice. "We're gonna flush them out, gain their attention. Their heroes so once we cause enough chaos they'll eventually have to come out and stop us."

"But Kyle, that's the problem. They ARE heroes, they will never join us."

"What? You question my reasoning skills?"

Daniel laughed "Your reasoning skills is kicked the crap out of something until it agrees with you."

Kyle rolled his eyes "we'll split up, I'll take the east side of the city while you take the west. And cause as much mayhem as you can.

They both took off, Daniel turned some cars into monsters, he then used his electronic mind to intercept all police calls so no one could contact them. He kept on turning electronics to monsters and commanded them to cause mayhem in the city. Kyle was absorbing all types of electricity and then releasing it in all directions blowing up and Damaging everything the electricity touched. He was making sure not to hit anyone to make sure he didn't accidentally hit one of the mutants.

"This should draw them out in no time" Kyle began laughing "and soon my new world shall be created."

Kelevra Solfire was unsure about this new town. Unsure if he was excited or simply anxious. Unsure if this trip would warrant the same results as his previous adventures, or if it would simply be a wasted effort. Most importantly, he was unsure of himself as he shifted his bag on his shoulder, making his way through the streets. It was the first time in months he'd taken a chance moving through the streets without his gear readily equipped, but he had decided that he didn't want the Titans to feel as though he was stepping over any bounds when he came to their town, especially if he was going to be trying to join their ranks.

He smiled a bit inwardly to himself as he crossed the street, stopping at a nearby internet cafe to double check some information and have a quick bite before continuing toward the Tower, knowing fully well that he'd feel more at ease with himself on a full stomach when he presented himself to the team for their final call.

He walked to a table in the back, waiting on his order to come while he surfed the web a bit, listening to the television that was on in the corner out of habit. When he'd been in Gotham lately, he'd made a habit of doing this very thing to catch a bit of information on villains running rampant in the streets, and he supposed that old habits died hard. He looked up as the girl working there brought his food out, setting it beside him and smiling almost as though she was somewhat embarrassed as she walked away.

Cute girl, he thought to himself as he picked up his sandwich, taking a bite while he continued to surf the internet, researching all he could about the Titans. He'd no sooner placed the sandwich back on its plate, however, than he heard screaming in the streets, followed by what sounded like a special announcement coming over the television he'd been listening to.

"This is breaking news from Live News here in Jump City! It seems some form of what can only be described as monsters are tearing through the streets, terrorizing citizens and destroying everything in their path. At this time, we would recommend to our viewers that you get somewhere safe, be that your home or otherwise, and stay there until the streets are deemed safe again. If you must leave your homes for whatever reason, please exercise caution, as we are uncertain at this time what these creatures are capable of, or when and where they may appear. This is Alice Carson, and I'll be keeping you updated throughout this entire sordid affair."

Kelevra shook his head, quickly scarfing down the rest of the sandwich as he closed his laptop, tucking it into his bag and moving toward the door with his drink, making it a point to turn and nod reassuringly to the waitress with a smirk as he disappeared into the crowd of panicked citizens outside.

Looks like I'll get to plead my case to the Titans firsthand... I'd better get moving, and fast.

He ducked into a side alley, making sure that it was deserted, and ducked behind a dumpster, shedding his street clothes to reveal his suit, and pulling the mask from inside his utility belt. He quickly stuffed his clothes into the bag, taking out his guns and holstering them at his sides before tucking the bag safely into a corner where he could find it later, then loading a Grapple line into one of the guns.

Let's see what Jump City thinks of Kestrel, shall we? He winced a bit as he realized he'd been talking to himself the entire time, firing the line and quickly ascending to the rooftops, where he'd hoped to find a better view. He ran in a direction opposite the crowd's movements below, switching the Grapple Line for a clip of Cryo rounds, his other gun still loaded with Electro rounds from the last job he'd done in Gotham. Holstering the gun, he pushed himself along the rooftops until he spotted a handful of the creatures below, taking a moment to observe their behavior as a plan formulated in his mind, though it didn't take him long to abandon the plan altogether, smirking as he leapt from the rooftop, landing dead centre of the beasts and tilting his head in a cocky manner, smirking as he spoke.

"This town's got a lot of work to do in the Animal Control line, eh? I mean, if they're letting you lot run around unchecked..." He backflipped over the lot, landing in a position that would have the monsters trapped between himself and a wall, smirking as he relaxed for a moment, patting his leg, then motioning them to come to him, as though they were dogs, before readying himself for the inevitable battle at hand.

"I'm afraid a simple 'bad dog' won't do... You're all going to have to be put down..."

The sun was sitting on Jump City as two teens find themselves in the middle of a crowd of faceless androids with large blades for arms and they seemed to only be interested in the teens. "This is nuts where did all these...things come from?" Athena says to her teammate. The two were back to back surrounded by the androids, there must have been more then thirty of them that took over the street and the nearby roof tops. "Stay close, don't let them separate us from each other," Athena advised. She set her bags down and this seemed to signal the robotic men to attack, they seemed to all jump at once and with quick reaction Athena ripped through the metal men not allowing them to gain any ground. Metal body parts littered the ground, however, there seemed to not by any end to this assault.

Mean while

Faith was walking home from school when she heard the rumbling of something really big coming her way and was only half surprised when it was a giant robotic rhino. "I suppose I would have been disappointed if it was something less crazy in this city," she says to herself as pedestrians run passed her. Ducking behind a car, Faith quickly placed her mask and black jacket with the star on the back, she was still wearing her school uniform and hoped that no one would be able to recognize her.

Faith jumped back out onto the street as Rapid Star, one of the newest teen heroes since the Titans reformed, she stood in the path of of the charging metal rhino. "Alright big guy, come to mama," she quips it came stampeding at her. The girl held her ground and put her hands out in front of her and stopped the construction in its tracks and using her judo she throw the robotic rhino to the ground before jumping on it and smashing it to pieces. "Well that was easy," Faith says dusting her hands off. Suddenly she was hit hard from behind and was sent flying. When she finally hit the ground she felt multiple ribs break along with her left arm, "OOOOOUCH!!!" She yelled keeping herself from cursing from the pain. She could already feel her body repairing it self like so many other times she hurt herself while doing something stupid, "Jeez that hurt!" she says to herself as she got back to her feet.

"This is nuts. Where did all these... things come from?"

"I don't know, but it seems no one alive is intent on letting you have a normal day," Clive joked sarcastically as his green aura began to build mildly. "No matter," he said with a sigh. "We've got this." Clive bore his staff down fiercely, signalling the battle to begin. Athena wasted no time taking care of those behind him and then some, so Clive ascended vertically to the height of his weapon to kick down the nearest airborne drone into the crowd of them below before spinning momentously to slam his staff down on another one.

The duo were clearly the more powerful, but they still had numbers to worry about. Clive would try not to exhaust himself by overusing his green aura power. He focused instead on taking them down by more conventional means, which meant trading blows with all of them. He would occasionally take minor hits in the process, but this was nothing new to him. After a few minutes, their numbers began to noticeably deplete before the two. Clive took this opportunity to try being clever. He punted his staff into one of the drones, piercing its chest, and a green pulse quickly flashed over it as it flew back and bounced off the wall back to him. The drone had been rubberized as an effect.

Clive caught his staff with the drone hanging from it and quickly smirked, proud of himself for having learned a new trick. "Athena!" He called as he threw it at one distantly in front of Athena and rebounding his staff off of it, dividing it as it went airborne. Now that she had been provided with ammo, he figured Athena would know what to do next.

Austin was walking down the road with his head looking down thinking about what he should do. Should he join the titans and save people's lives, and start a new life? Or should he continue the search for his parents murderer? These ideas constantly came to mind and it frustrated him even more than he already was.

He then heard loud screaming from all directions, he looked up to see everyone running for their lives. He also saw what was chasing them "Is that suppose to be some kind of robotic T-'rex?" He said to himself. The monster than stopped 30 feet in front of him starring him down, it's as though it was confused on why Austin stood there while everyone else ran. The monster than made a charge at Austin showing its large metal teeth. "Step off transformer wannabe" Austin amped his arms and fist and caught the monsters mouth, his right hand was on its upper jaw while his left hand on the lower jaw. The monster struggled to get free but then Austin proceeded to rip it's jaws off. The monster was dripping oil from its mouth and started to take a few steps back retreating from a failed attack. The monster than swung its large tail only to have it caught by Austin, the monster struggled to get its tail lose but Austin started to fly upwards carrying the monster with it. The wind then started to go into a frenzy and began to slice the monster peace by peace.

After he finally destroyed it he looked over to see someone just standing there in the way of a rampaging robotic rhino, he was about to go help her until she stopped the thing with her bare hands and began to smash the crap out of hit with her bare hands. "This is the most messed up town I have ever been in." He saw a robotic gorilla come out of nowhere and smacked from behind with its fist. He quickly flew over there as fast as he could and was standing next to her as even more robotic creatures began to surround them. Austin looked at her "Any bright ideas?"

Kestrel rushed the handful of mechanical beasts before him, jumping toward the nearest and kicking off of what he assumed was its head, springing into the air and landing behind the one in back, facing away from the group. As he landed, he spun quickly, his right foot coming up and landing squarely across the beast's side, causing it to drop for a brief few seconds to its knees before it stood, its tail lashing into him and knocking him back against a nearby dumpster, the force addling him.

"Okay... So you wanna play...?"

He drew his right gun, double checking the clip. Electro rounds. They're mechanical. That means I should, in theory, be able to...

As the thought crossed his mind, he looked up just in time to see three of the creatures lunging through the air at him, kneeling quickly and rolling out of the way. He quickly raised the gun, firing off a round at each of the three while they were recovering from the hard landing. The voltage coursed throughout them, causing them to halt in place momentarily, then collapse upon themselves. He smirked as he turned to the remaining three, holding the gun loosely as they circled him slowly.

"So we've figured it out, eh? Looks like you lot could use a good shock collar for those discipline issues."

He aimed at the nearest one, squeezing the trigger as it lunged at him. The hammer drew back, then jammed in place as sparks and a crackling sound were emitted from the gun, the hammer locking in place as the slide jammed. He dodged to the side, though his attacker grazed him, knocking him to the ground as it passed by. He stood slowly, starting to feel a good deal of pain from the fight.

"Well, hell. I guess that would have been too easy. You guys have definitely got the bite to back up your bark..."

He holstered the gun at his side, pulling a clip of the Electro rounds from his belt. If I don't end this quickly, I'm gonna end up a snack... Or worse... I hope this works.

He drew three of the rounds from the clip, placing them between his knuckles as he leapt onto the back of the nearest attacker, using the force from the landing to drive his fist, and the rounds, deep into the exposed wiring at its neck. The rounds fired off from the force, sending a shockwave through the creature, as well as a bit of electrical backlash up his arm, throwing him from it. The creature collapsed upon itself, as the others had, and he stood, the other two at his sides. He shook his arm, as though to shake off the shock, then sighed as he pulled six more rounds, placing three in each fist, taking a readied stance as the two came to a halt in front of him.

This is going to hurt me a helluva lot more than it's gonna hurt you two, I'll bet...

He rushed them both, thrusting his fists at each one as he passed, though the force did not fire off the rounds, much to his dismay as he was knocked back yet again, landing against a parking meter, the change pouring out as he impacted with it.

"Yupp... Definitely... Hurt me... Worse..."

He looked up, catching a glimpse of the rounds lodged against the plating of the beasts, some of the wires near them frayed and sparking. He shook his head as he stood, trying to think of how he would handle this.

I'm not strong enough to do anything myself... If I can't get those rounds to fire off... But with the one gun jammed, and the other locked in place with Cryo rounds... Damn, it'd be nice if I had something to hit them with that conducted... Elec... tricity? That's it!

He quickly turned, looking up both ends of the street and locating a fire hydrant nearby. He rushed to it, taunting his attackers to follow. As he neared it, he leapt up, raising the Cryo gun and taking aim at the side of the hydrant facing his pursuers and firing, the cap on the end freezing solid.

Gods, I hope this works... If not, I may as well go home and hang up the belt and cape...

He landed a few feet from the hydrant, rolling forward and stopping just beside it as he turned to watch for the opportune moment.

A little closer... Just a little more... NOW!!

As he saw the proper moment present itself, he raised his leg high, delivering a sharp axe kick to the frozen cap, shattering the weakened steel and ice and sending a burst of water at the beasts. The Electro rounds sparked against the water and exposed wires, a large spark emitting from them and throughout the water. The hydrant stopped after a moment, its reserves depleted, and he leaned against the wall, watching as the beasts fell to the ground, lifeless. As he caught his breath, he pushed off of the wall, walking back toward where he had stashed his bag, his gaze never meeting the creatures again.

"Play dead... Good dogs."

If those things are attacking all over the city, the Titans are definitely gonna need help. I'm gonna have to get out there and see if I can find more of these things, just in case...

Originally posted by Phoenix3068
Nova spun with such swiftness it was like she was moving in slow motion. As half the remaining guards surrounded her, they launched-- one at a time. The first came directly at her, meeting her rotated punch to the gut and sent flying with a trail of flames. She was brought to a slower rotation, before she pushed herself into the air. As the second came up, it met a roundhouse aerial kick to the side of his head with another trail of flames circling around her like a disk. They went flying across the air before hitting the ground. She landed and ducked under a swung crow bar, before bringing both of her palms forward together in a thrust into the chest of the final one. As her flames were released like a flamethrower, she sent him flying through the air and into the wall through the sheer force. Nova brought her hands back and swiftly stepped in a circular motion, bringing her hands back around to stance.

Images rush through her mind. A boy touches her shoulder.

"Master..." Nova shook her head hard and turned, growling as her eyes darted from the downed foes, one to the next. None of them! Their leader escaped, which means the information she needed was gone too. Without paying much attention to X, she turned toward the nearby window to look out in case she should see something. Still, nothing. It took her a week to find that information and there was no way in hell that she was going to let it get away from her now. She turned toward X with a scowl.
"Where did he go?" She said with a stern look. "He has your item. I need that man alive. You must have a way to track him."

"I wasn't expecting it to be necessary," Red X said while brushing past the the girl. It was true, he didn't have an active tracking device. Not yet anyway. X's eyes narrowed as he took in the room with a careful eye. A lot of the equipment had superficial damage from Nova's assault, though others were outright slag. Somewhere in this mess was a trail, and he'd have to pick it up if he hoped to get the Xenothium ore he coveted. Tilting his head back, he leaped up and caught a torn rebar, using it to swing him up into the air. His arm reached out and slammed into the bottom rung of the catwalk, fist clenching tight and holding against his momentum before pulling him up. Swinging over the catwalk, he was now standing just above the where the fight had happened.

The change in vantage points gave him a clue, and without another word to Nova, X dropped to back to the ground and ran off through the warehouse. He knew she'd probably follow him, but every moment spent talking was giving Winchester more time to escape, and he wasn't about to lose his prize.