Chapter 14 part 3

I couldn't believe it. I was starring into the eyes of the person who was going to end my life and the next…

Macaulay, Cora, Abigail and I where standing across the room from the clones who where about to rip us apart. The shadowy one, number 56, protested but when 60, who seems like their unofficial leader, set his eyes on mine I knew he was out for blood. I was frozen with fear, for myself and my friends. Just then Bobby and the others bust in through the back door with a small hand full of the X Men. Cyclops, Rogue and Wolverine ends up getting attacked by the feral number 54 while Iceman, Vibe, Spectre, Outburst and Moonstar were faced with 57, a woman with teleportation and portal abilities. Storm and a few students take on number 58, an energy manipulating man with an afro and sunglasses. number 55 is a super speed user who goes after Beast, Gambit and a few of Gambit's students. The shapeshifter just watches on silently. 59 is a girl, about 16 years old, with psychic abilities and she ends up fighting Emma, Magma and Emma's entire team but they are all held back with nothing more than a blink from their opponent. That leaves only one more clone.

Andy jumps out in front of me before 60 rams his head into my gut. The force of the hit sends us all through the wall behind us and out into the next corridor. "Hey, Andy." 60 says as he brushes the rubble from his head. "You're one of the guys who's DNA is inside of me." This guy has flying, super strength and endurance as well as speed. He's like a way more powerful Andy. "Let me take him." I tell Andy but he scoffs at me and faces the enemy. "I hear the whole thing from a surveillance room. These guy's are supposed to be some ultimate mutants, tch. 60 is the highest number which means you're the best, right? I called in the cavalry for your friends but you are mine, because there is only room for one person to be considered the ultimate mutant and that's me." He flies in at dive bomb speed but the clone puts his palm to Andy's head and yawns. "Look kid, I got you in my cell structure, as well as some of the greatest mutant badA$$es in the world, so what makes you think you can" Andy spins in the air and makes a straight kick to the face. "What was that?" He asks. "I couldn't hear you through the foot in your mouth." I use my psychic powers to pull him away before 60 regains himself. "Looks like your buddy has to learn some manures." 60 sneers before disappearing in a blur and reappearing in front of us. I blast Andy with an energy bast since 60's too fast for me to think of anything else. "I really should wear a sign." 60 stands back up. "It aint a good idea to touch me." I send a cold blast at him, wishing for it to freeze him and save our lives but he breaks through. He hears Impact coming in for another attack and goes to punch through his stomach but I jump in the way and knock Impact back with a psi blast. The hand reaches inside of my chest and grabs onto my heart.

I feel 60's hand crushing my heart. Only staying barely alive with my healing ability I endure the pain as best I can. "What is it about real people that makes me so repulsed? It's anyone actually. Why is it that when you touch me I feel such hatred that I feel you must die? Do you know the answer?" "You're a narcissist." I tell him. "Really?" He asks me with interest. "Is it narcissism to believe one is greater than another when that is the fact? I am greater than your friend because I have his powers and abilities as well as others." "You may have his DNA, but you are not even close to Impact's level." I fire a blast of cool air, freezing his mid section and making him let go of me. I form a reinforced ice sword and it snaps on the enemies skin. I blast him with energy but that only melts my ice. I have to go all out. I throw both of my hand in the air and collect all of the energy I can find into my one arm. I thrust the arm forward, releasing the energy in a stream. 60 opens his arms as if to receive the energy as it engulfs him. He walks out from the steam left behind, completely unfazed. "Oh S#!+."

The only thing I can think of now is to try fighting without using my body, so I create a few ice giants and try having 60 fight them. He rips off the arm of the first one and beats the second one down with it. When the third one attacks him he makes a snowball and tosses it like a rocket, obliterating the snowman. I create armour just in time to avoid getting killed by his next punch but he makes his way through my shield and stabs me in the chest again with an open fist. "That healing ability wont last much longer, will it?" He asks me, stabbing again and again. I drop my useless armour and fall to my knees. "F%(&." I curse into the snow falling from the roof, my snowmen blasted open. The snow has covered the fighting area. "Looks like you're already out of energy." He crushes my hand and I bleed onto the snow. "I don't have anymore energy left." I say, after he stomps my face into the ground. "But that doesn't matter." 60 bends down to hear me better. "Why's that?" He asks me. "Because this is the arctic, dumb A$$." The snow starts to spin in a circle around us as some of it covers my broken hand, melting into it and regenerating it for me. "And I can take my power from the snow!" I disappear into the flurry of snowflakes. 60 thrashes at the snow but I'm nowhere to be found. "I can become any of the three forms of water." I tell him as I reform from behind and attack with ice blasts. "And they can fuel me. As long as there's snow, ice or water I will never run dry." I blast him with cold again and again. "That so?" He asks before jumping into the air and breathing in deeply. He lets his breath out with such a huge for ice that it blows all the snow away and I am forced to reform. "Awe, F%(& baskets." I get an uppercut to the face and am knocked into the wall behind me. 60 comes in for the kill but Impact flies down to help me. "Skylar!" He gets caught by 60 who grabs him by the hair, punches him in the stomach and holds him in place at his knees in front of him. "I can kill you so easily." He tells me, holding up one finger. "But I want you to enjoy your friends deaths first." He places the finger on Andy's temple and begins to push in. "Now watch, nice and slow."

I hear Andy scream in pain but my body wont move. I'm too tired from that last stunt. "I wont give up!" I hear him call out. "I wont die, you B@$+@)D!" I wish I was like that sometimes. I wish I didn't know death was holding out his hand and ready to take us all away. I know he's going to kill Andy. Then he'll probably make me watch him kill Cora and Macaulay and Alena…Abigail…Logan and mr.Summers. D@^^*IT! I can't do anything about it. I raise my head and see what he's doing to Andy. He has his fingers digging in slowly to both temples and Andy is pulling his arms away with everything he has left. He's crying. He knows he can't win. This guy is indestructible. He has an invincible body and unlimited strength. How many people do the X men alone have with super strength? Colossus, Strong guy, the Juggernaught…I guess he doesn't count. Either way we're screwed. We're all gonna die. That's when I decided. We don't all have to die.

I stand up, starting what I know will be the death of me. I turn on my psychic powers. I can feel the calories being drained with every second, but that's okay. I don't plan on coming back from this. My whole body becomes engulfed in energy as my mind takes control of the limbs, my muscles can't force to move. "Let him go 60." I demand. "We're not finished." 60 drops Impact on the ground. He's still breathing so I was in time. But time is what I'm running low on. "Ready for round two." "Let's hurry it up!" I charge at him with psychic powered speed, colliding with him so hard the ground beneath us cracks. Knowing I can't break his invincible skin I toss him into the air, so he wont be able to hurt Andy and I unleash my psychic energy into his mind. "What are you doing!?" He screams out in pain. "I've never felt this! What is it!?" "That's called pain." I tell him. "You never felt it because you're invincible. But through psychic powers I can reach into your mind and kick you mental A$$!" I dig into his brain as hard as I can until finally he falls to the ground. "Had enough, mr.Pefect?" I ask him. "We have plenty more psychics on the X men and I'm just a beginner. If you come after us or cause trouble we will take you down."

The X Men soon find out there is no way of beating all of these clones at once. Cyclops tries to issue a tactical retreat but 57 blocks his path by making the walls of the room portals back inside. "We wouldn't want you leaving now. 56 grabs her arm and shakes his head. "Why are we doing this?" "Because it's fun." 57 snaps back at him. "But there's no point." 56 tries to convince her. "We have our freedom, so let's go enjoy it instead of fighting here." "I am enjoying it." 57 pulls away but 56 stretches his arm out and catches her. "Please. I want to go." "Alright." 57 finally agrees and opens a few portals which the other clones retreat into. The battle is over.

57 teleports all of the clones to where 60 and I have fought. "What happened to you!" 57 runs out to his side. "Don't touch!" He slaps her away before she could touch him. "I want to kick his A$$." "No time." 56 warns him. "The others are coming after us. We need to retreat before we are sucked into another worthless fight." With that they disappear and I loose what little consciousness I have left. My heart rate slows and my breathing soon stops. I think I'm ready for a long rest.

New X men (Intersperse)

Chapter 14 part 2

The Arctic is cold. Very cold. Especially up in the mountains where we are. I've never been there myself before today, but that's what I was told about it on TV and in school. If so, then I should be either freezing or dead. Why am I feeling so warm?

I open my eyes slowly before shooting them open and sitting up straight on my knees. Outburst, Spector, Micro and I all fell down a large shaft hidden under the ice the last thing I remember. I must have landed on top of Spector we fell. I must have awesome unconscious aim from where I landed. "Pervert." Oh, crap. Why did Macaulay have to wake up before me. "Though I gotta admit 'at usin a chicks melons fer a nap isn't a bad idea, ya might want ta try a little subtlety." I could punch him, I really could. But no. He's our only supply of heat if we have to leave wherever we are. "Just stay quiet and no gets hurt." I grumble as he smiles like a fox at my predicament. "I wish my unconscious girlfriend was so obliging." "I'll cut you." I form a little ice dagger to emphasize the point. "Cora's looking for some clue as ta where we are." Macaulay tell me. "Our headsets don't work down ere and we can only assume tha' Iceman and Vibe got hit with some unexpected locals too." "So we're stranded and our team may be in danger?" I ask him. "Yup." "I'll see if they're still in the area." I search out Vibe and Iceman's signatures. "They're staying put." I tell him. "They should be searching for us since we've been out of radio contact. They must have been hit. At least they're not dead." "That's good news. And it looks like sleeping beauty is awake." "What's happening?" Abigail asks as she wakes up.

A short time after we all talk things over we decide to look for a way out so we can regroup with Iceman and Vibe. I feel uncomfortable. I should be able to sense my teammates in these tunnels but ever since we left that one room I haven't been able to feel anything. It's not long until we're attacked again. This time it's the Magneto/Xavier clone. He uses sections of the walls to crush us. I dodge forward in time to fire a frost blast upwards and entrap his body in ice, leaving only his head unfrozen. "Why did you bring us here?" I start questioning him immediately. "The Professor told us too." "I know that." I place a finger on his forehead. "If you don't tell me something enlightening I'll scramble your spliced body until the only thing you can feel is excruciating agony." "I have no reason to tell you anything." I start messing with his DNA, causing a numbness to start at first and then raising the pain levels until I feel a sharp jolt to the back of my head. "You're not the only one who can change a person's chemical makeup." The clone sends another psychic jolt to the back of my cerebellum. "Psychics?" I turn on my own psychic power and squeeze his mind. "Give me the answers." I command him but he wont give up. I finally knock him out with a psi bolt. "I didn't get much but I think I know how to get to the exit." I inform everyone.

My team fallows me to what I thought was the exit but what I find is not what I thought it would be. Pulsating flesh riddled with wires and tubes. Machines flickering as unknown liquids are pumped into canisters. "It's nice to meet you in person, Skylar." I almost cry when I see him. "ProfessorDoctor Stephen Castings' brain is kept in a glass casing behind the skin of his face which is held in place over the case by shreds. "I was hoping to meet you in person before I die. After so many long years of isolation I have longed for intelligent human contact." "Dude! Itsa brain in a jar!" Macaulay realizes. "It is a good thing I always prepare myself for alternatives to my wishes. Be that as it may, my goal in this little venture remains the same. As you know, my life's work has been dedicated to creating the ultimate mutant. Thanks to your DNA I have completed this task." The walls around us fall into the floor, revealing seven bodies behind them. "I believed that by cloning exact copies of existing mutants I could make my dream a reality, but I was mistaken. Then I had the idea to create my Exodus and Magneto who where combinations of other mutants. They too became failures in the end. Even they are slowly fading away. But I had learned something. By combining the DNA of certain mutants with your DNA strands not only will the final products become stabilized, but the powers they are given are enhanced exponentially." "And these seven clones." "Are the combinations of multiple mutants with the same powers and your own genetic structure. In other words, Omega level mutants." "And since they're clones I can't copy their powers." "Precisely. But my goal here is not to simply gloat. I have created these specimens for one last task, and that is to kill you. You see, my goal in life is to create the ultimate mutant and since you are the ultimate mutant in my opinion, then that means by destroying you these creatures will take your place as such and my life's work will be complete." The mutant clones begin to wake up from their hibernation.

With seven Omega powered enemies on our hands and me with no sensory abilities to help us I'm trapped. We should escape but the doctor's had us locked in sine we got here. The doctor commands his creations. "I want you to kill Skylar and his friends." He commands. "That's not fair!" Cougar bursts through one of the doors. "You promised me Skylar and the blonde!" "I gave you your enhanced powers, didn't I?" "I want the purple headed brat and his chick too! It's part of our deal!" The Cougar cringes as a hand plunges into his stomach. The new clone with long blonde hair flowing wildly from his head and chin brings his arm up in one swift motion, ripping out the tendons of Cougar's midsection. "You're one of the feral mutants I was based off of." The clone wraps Cougar's intestines around his arms and ties him up with them. The pain causes the sadistic monster to scream out, blood and saliva dripping from his fangs. The clone who took him down looks a lot like Sabre tooth but it has Logan's eyes. He has fangs and claws which I notice are not covered in Adamantium. He must have been made without using to so his healing factor could mature quicker. That must mean he was made to replicate feral healing abilities at their fullest. "Careful, 54." Another of them reaches out his hand and stops the feral one. "If you do too much you might kill him." This one's a lanky, thin man. Or maybe I should say silhouette of a man. his body is nearly featureless except for glowing red eyes but the rest of him is a purple substance which looks like some form of shadow and his ears come to a point like an elf. "Sorry, 56." The feral one stands back up straight and calms himself down. "I just hate that this thing is a part of me." "I know but we have our orders." The shadowy one turns to us. "We have to exterminate these people." "Why?" A much shorter one walks out from the group. She's wearing a black gothic dress and has long black hair and large green eyes. "Why do we have to kill them? We could erase their minds or leave them be. It's not like they can do anything about it." "59. There's no fun in that. I vote bloodshed." Another one raises his hand. This one is a tall guy with hazel eyes and short brown hair, who looks like he could use a shave. He's got this relaxed composure and doesn't seem to be taking this too seriously. "Shut up 60." A taller, thinner man reaches out his hand and places it on 60's shoulder. "Some of us don't want to spill blood needlessly." 60 slaps the hand away. "Never touch me again, 55! If you do you'll loos that arm." "55, you should know about 60's problems with physical contact." A woman one tosses her arms behind her back and smiles. She has bright orange hair and sapphire eyes. "He can't understand the finer side of the body." "At least I'm not a slut like you 57." 60 retorts with an even more playful expression. "That's enough." A much larger, muscle man with an afro and glasses walks out in front of the others. "Enough talking. Let's make a decision. Do we bring down our judgment on the intruders or do we allow them passage?" "58's been watching samurai movies again." 59 sighs. "Never mind that!" Afro points at her. "Now is the time for justice or freedom! Choose!" "Why don't you try choosing for us?" "ALL YOU YOU SHUT UP!" The doctor yells out. "What is this!? You are my greatest creations but you squabble like animals after I give you my orders!" "Orders?" 60 asks. "Yes! I gave you my direct orders! now go kill Skylar Medley!" "As you wish." 60 jumps up to the doctor's brain jar. "But first." He rams his arm into the plexiglass and pulls the doctor's brain out, wires flying in every direction. "But first I'm shutting you up you wrinkled old *%$." He tosses the brain on the ground and stomps on it with a big sadistic smile. "I hated that man."

I can barely hold myself back. He just reached in and killed the doctor without even hesitating. And he did it with this cold smile on his face. I was worried about Cougar, but this guy frightens me.

60 hops down from the computer and looks up at me. "No stomach for carnage?" He asks me. "Don't feel too bad. That guy would've been coming after you until the day you died if I didn't beat him to the punch and kill him first. He was way past his expiration date anyway." "Dude!" Macaulay yells at 60. "I don't care what e'd do ta us! Ya don't kill no one! It aint right!" "Shut up Macaulay!" I call back to him but the taller female clone has already gotten to him. She caresses his cheek softly as she speaks to him. "This is just the way things are little boy. For your own good you should not talk back to 60. He's had it in for the doc and if you stop on his little victory he'll crush your little body into the floor." "I don't care!" Macaulay backs away from her. "I don't care if all ya are special omega mutants or anything. I wont let a man be murdered in front of my eyes." "Macaulay." I call out to him and motion towards 60. The clone is being yelled at by his tall teammate, 55. "That was great!" 55 puts his hand on 60's arm. "Hey 60, you're heartless, you know that." Suddenly 60's hand scrapes across 55's face but the taller one uses his super speed to escape. "NEVER TOUCH ME!" 60 screams at the top of his lungs. "Never touch me with those filthy hands again!" "Sorry bro." 55 backs away a little more. "Let's just kill Medley and his buddies and we can go enjoy our lives now, kay?" "Yeah." 60 turns to us, his face returning to it's normal relaxed look. "Let's kill em."

Red X

Ch10

Alexander Arkham. From the moment he stepped foot in Gotham he was one step ahead. Under the guise of a rich girls boyfriend he befriended Bruce Wayne. Apparently he'd met with Kyle Jeffries and Charlotte Sullivan in his home town of Oscura City. He then learned of what Kyle's father had done to his mother and orchestrated a plan to help Kyle get his revenge. The first step was to have Kyle, who was already head of his father's security give him the idea to expand his territory into Gotham. Alex, as the infamous Red X was already a thorn in the businessman's side and pretended to fallow him from Oscura. Kyle remained as a mole for Alex as well as being the person who would organize Jeffries actions according to Alex's will. Alex and Kyle would exchange places as Red X during appointed time to make the other one seem more or less incriminating. When the assassin Melissa Devons, under the guise of Penny Turman, comes after him Alex decides to play off of her and blow up one of Batman's caves, making it seem like the work of the Jeffries. The he allowed the older Jeffries to call on Devons and have her assassinate Batman. He used this opportunity to make Red X look like an assassin for Jeffries. Alex gains Batman's support, if not his trust, when he stages a kidnapping of Charlotte Sullivan who was acting as his girlfriend and rescues her along with the help of Bruce Wayne who he was counting on being at the party going on at the time. During this time he acted less capable than he was but still capable enough to impress Wayne. He then revealed that he knew about Wayne's identity, pretending that he'd figured it out due to the earlier confrontation. Because of this Alex was accepted into the Batcave. Alex and Kyle pretended to have a coincidental confrontation online and discover indisputable evidence that the Jeffries are engaged in illegal activities inside of Gotham. Kyle confronts Batman and reveals himself to be Red X in a fight which results in the slipping of more information which was also predicted by Alex. Alex has Kyle organize a huge drug smuggling operation to keep the members of the Batman family he'd brought into town busy while he stole Batman's equipment and escaped while allowing Kyle to kill his father. In the end it all went as he'd planned. Alexander Arkham had bested the Batman in a game of brains and stollen his cape and cowl as his trophy. But who is Alexander Arkham? That is the question on Bruce Wayne's mind.

Batman walks down the halls of Arkham Asylum, Commissioner Gordon fallowing beside him. The boos of the locked up men echo through the stone and metal walls. "Kyle Jeffries escaped with his suit and we didn't hear anything about him until his name ended up on the obituaries of an Oscura newspaper. We confirmed the body as his. Looks like a suicide." Gordon tells Batman. "As for Alex Arkham, we can't do anything since he's out of our jurisdiction now. The Jeffries wills said that their shares go to Charlotte Sullivan, who also went across our jurisdiction before any of this went down. It even turned out that those boats which where supposed to be full of illegal drugs where actually full of orange coloured rock instead of Xenothium. The real Xenothium smugglers where never real to begin with. It look like they where fabricated for the files. This kid was thorough. Did you get anything from Arkham's father?" "I got enough. It seems he didn't pay much attention to his son. He didn't even know he'd made it through college already, or that he has a degree in psychology. Apparently he'd brought him to visit." "That seems normal." Gordon says. "Bringing your son in to your work when he's going into the same field." "Alex was four when he started coming to the Asylum. His father wanted to 'educate' him early." "That guy really loves his crazies." "Apparently enough to scar his own son." "Then why do you need to see this guy?" "He's only the first on my list. I want to know about Alex Arkham if he ever comes back to Gotham, and this is the only thing anyone knows about him." Batman walks into a meeting place. A familiar grin and yellow stained eyes stare at him from behind the safety glass. "Hello Joker. I have some questions for you."

Batman faces his arch foe, looking for answers. "You wanna know about Alex Arkham?" The Joker takes a thinker position before sticking out his tongue. "Don't know him." "Not many children spend their weekends in asylums." "Why is that? It's not like this isn't a fun place. Sometimes I pretend the padded rooms are a bouncy castle." "Focus." Batman tells him. "What makes you think I'll tell you anything?" Joker asks Batman while making a face. "I hate you." "I just need to know about Alex Arkham." "You want to know about Alex Arkham?" Joker says with a bored look. "He was always scurrying around. Daddy never had time for him so he played with the crazies. He'd come buy now and then. I tried to get him to let me go but he was smart. He wouldn't even get close enough to the bars to grab. But he got as close as he could. Though I gotta admit, the kid was funny." "What do you mean by that?" "What do you think I mean?" "Don't play games." "I'm not. The kid made me laugh. But he was a smart little fucker. If you really want to know about him ask Freeze. He's the one who had those deep conversations with him. He'd only hang out with me when he was in a funny mood."

The next name on Batman's list of people to visit is Victor Freeze. He enters the holding cell and comes face to face with the icy scientist, sitting impatiently behind the glass. This cell is designed so that outside of Freeze's cell is warm but in it is cold. Batman walks up to the glass. "What do you want?" Freeze asks. "You're keeping me from my research." "I'm here to ask about Alex Arkham." When he says this Freeze sits down and becomes less irritated. "I haven't talked to that young boy in ages. He must be a grown man now." "Personal memories?" "When the science you've spent your entire life trying to perfect is corrected by a child so young you don't forget it. The boy was a wonder. We would speak for hours about theories and advancements. I've even integrated some of his ideas into my own gear. I'm certain my darling wife would not have lived this long if it weren't for the work we discussed together so long ago. How is he now?" "He's a graduate of psychology and the most successful criminal to come to Gotham." "The Red X everyone is talking about." Freeze looks surprised for a second but it fades. "That makes sense. He is quite the puzzle. He'd give the Riddler puzzles to solve whenever he was over, for that matter." "What else can you tell me about him?" "Other than his shining intellect and complex mind I have nothing of value. He simply seemed to have shown few emotions and had a fascination with the human mind. There was one incident."

Victor Freeze begins to tell the story to Batman. "One night Alexander was visiting the asylum with his father. His father would neglect him and his reasons for bringing him along, even I do not know. However, while the asylum was locking down an incident occurred and Alexander was locked in a cell." "Whose cell?" Batman asks, concern almost showing through. "The Killer Crock." Victor tells him. "Do you remember how Jones would have his fits of rage and not be able to remember his human side? Well, the doctors here would keep him chained up in his cell and that night was one of those nights. Jones was like a wild animal and that poor child had to spend the entire night in that cell, alone with him until dawn when a guard noticed him." "How did he survive?" "That's the thing. He'd stayed close to the door, where Jones couldn't get too and didn't make a sound. Not one of us knew he was in there all night, except Jones. You would expect a child of his age to have cried or screamed but he didn't make a sound. When I spoke to Jones about it he told me that Alexander just stood there and watched. He even laid down by the door and watched Jones as he waited for someone to open the door, while taunting him at one point. We where all surprised. He became somewhat of a hero for surviving a night in the crocodile den. When I asks him about it he said it wasn't that bad. I could have laughed. If you want more information about him then ask around. I'm sure most people here have forgotten by now."

Batman did ask around. Almost everyone who was a villain from back then had something to say about Alexander Arkham. Unfortunately, none of this helped in finding him and when he checked the Batcave he kept in the asylum it was stripped clean before this whole thing began. The only thing there was one of his flying X's with the words 'I'll pay you back.' written on it. Later, several of Bruce Wayne's charity funds gained a massive donation spike, equalling the amount stollen by Arkham during his time there. Wayne looks at his account balances and chuckles to himself. "He was right. The kid is funny."

The End.

Arkham: "Wait, wait! The end?"

Sullivan: "Yeah. The series is over."

Arkham: "It can't be over!"

Kyle Jeffries: "Hey. At least you didn't get killed off!"

Arkham: "We killed a lot of people in this didn't we?"

Sullivan: "It doesn't matter."

Arkham: "Of course it matters! I had so much fun! I met Batman and we became friends."

Sullivan: "Before you stole all his stuff."

Arkham: "I paid it back."

Sullivan: "I paid it back! You didn't do anything!"

Arkham: "You where a lot nicer to me before."

Sullivan: "That was when I was pretending to be your girlfriend you jackA$$."

Arkham: "But now it's all over!"

Sullivan: "I'm telling you it's not over! Seriously. This was just the first story arc to introduce our characters in a familiar world before plunging them into our own world."

Arkham: "Our own world? You mean we're going home?"

Sullivan: "Yup. The next chapter will be a new story arc and start people off on how you became Red X and met me and you'll be the new narrator."

Arkham: "I didn't get to show off how anime geeky I am...Do I get my own villains?!"

Sullivan: "Yup. We'll learn more about Xenothium, I'll get more screen time. We'll learn what the hell was up with that crazy Devons chick. We'll get to see some more cool gadgets in your Red X suit too."

Arkham: "Do I fight Superman next?"

Sullivan: "We're going home. Superman's in Metropolis."

Arkham: "Are you saying Superman can't make it to Oscura City? He can fly around the world in the blink of an eye."

Sullivan: "I wish I could send you around the world."

Arkham: "I wish I had a pizza…and cake."

Sullivan: "If I weren't so rich and beautiful I'd hate my life."

Arkham: "Me too."

Sullivan: "You're not rich."

Arkham: "Are you saying I'm beautiful?"

Sullivan: "Screw it. I'm going home."

Arkham: "Wait! You have to finish the…crap, she's gone. Well, I had a lot of fun with this and I can't wait for part two when I'll be in my own element and it'll be a little less confusing. I hope you look forward to it. Bye!"

Red X

Ch09

It takes only three days for Bruce Wayne to recover from his bullet wound to the shoulder. He feels relieved that he will now be able to begin taking down the people who escaped a breakout from Arkham Asylum. Apparently a series of bombs went off inside the asylum while he was busy elsewhere and a large group of people escaped. Among the list where Twoface and Bane, who where still on the loose. Arkham had been acting as Batman by piloting the Bat Mobile around town and taking down the smaller disturbances while Bane and Twoface are in hiding. In his fight with Red X Wayne received a bullet to his shoulder and several hundred lacerations from flying X's as well as a few burns from lighting off smoke bombs a little too close to himself. Now Batman is rested and back in business.

Wayne walks down into his cave, nodding towards Arkham who spins around in his chair with a big smile on his face. "Guess what I just made." Arkham points over to a Batman costume laying out on a table. "Increased defensive plating with half of the weight of your old suit. I packed some armoured knuckles into your gloves and added a bit more striking power with some of the equipment we picked up from the Jeffries organization. I've also increased the launching speed of your grappling hooks so they can keep up with his accelerators." "Good work." Wayne looks over the suit. "Alfred helped." Arkham says as he tosses Wayne a USB. "What's this?" "The contents of the USB you gave me before. Looks like I know what our little rich boy next door is up to tomorrow night."

Wayne puts the USB into his computer and looks through the files. "If this hasn't been changed then this means that Jeffries is going to use the confusion from the breakout to bring in the largest supply of smuggled drugs to hit Gotham." "And our drop down point is tomorrow. That means that we rest up today and go for it tomorrow with full force." "Why should we rest today?" Wayne asks Arkham. "You just got out of bed from bullet wounds and high blood loos." Arkham gives him a look as he taps at the Bat Computer. "Take the night to get used to the new suit and check out any bumps you might have in that shoulder. If you go out now you'll be tired for tomorrow and more likely to get another injury from the criminals out there. I called in Batgirl and Batman version two. They can take this and give us backup when all hell breaks loose tomorow." "Maybe I should have gotten a secretary a long time ago." Wayne says. "You take the night off too and you have a deal." "Deal."

The day goes as planned. Dick Grayson and Stephanie Brown take care of the city while Wayne and Arkham rest up for the big day. Then it happens.

The drop off day arrives and a rush of crime erupts over Gotham. It gets so bad that Arkham calls in Catwoman and Huntress as well as Robin and Red Robin to help take care of the crisis. All this time Batman has been watching the harbour.

When the three boats arrive at Gotham harbour Twoface and Bane come to greet them as well as the older Jeffries who begins ordering the crew around. Batman calls in to Arkham who already has Grayson and Drake moving towards his position. Now they begin their attack.

Batman makes the first move by tossing knockout gas into the area at certain points to prevent escape. His goal is to make certain that the drugs stay on the ship so Gordon and his men can take it into police custody. Gordon's men appear just in time to close off any escape routes not covered in gas. "I thought you'd be here." Jeffries calls out to Batman who found his way onto one of the ships. "But now you're dead." Batman is surrounded by the ships crew who are obviously under the influence of the Xenothium drug. "So, that's what you're doing." Batman says. "Having your son lure me out with this and then taking me out." "Kyle told me you where looking for me so I should lead you here where we can finish you." "What?" Batman is confused. He'd never had his eye on Jeffries head. He begins to see another underlying web. "It seems you where set up Jeffries." He says. "I don't think so." The fat pig of a man lights a cigar and takes a gun from his pocket. "That little S#!+ of a son might've been born from that skank but he's got my blood too. He turned out to be so useful. I guess I made the right choice in not getting rid of him as a child." Things start falling into place. Unanswered questions die off as new ones grow in their place. Batman tries to talk to Jeffries but is hit with a devastating fist from the side. "You've seen what Xenothium can do to a person who takes the drug in a higher does that recommended, haven't you?" Jeffries laughs. "See what my boy did to make these loyal lackeys even more useful? Crush the bat." He commands and the hulking creatures lumber towards Batman, who goes to jump over one but he grabs his cape and slams him into the ground with enough force to crack his back. He'd be dead if it weren't for Arkham's new suit. "Listen to me!" Batman calls out. "You don't know what you're doing!" "Like hell!" Jeffries laughs. "I made an empire back home in that S#!+ stain of a city and now I'm moving in on Gotham. Once these drugs start spreading through your streets your people will become as addicted as the junkies back home and I will build a new empire here! And the only people to link me to the crime are all here waiting to die by the hands of my Xenothium powered army! All I need to do is make sure you people die and Twoface and Bane do their jobs in spreading my drugs to the general public." "That's not what's going to happen." Batman tosses an amped up punch into the stomach of the closest ship worker and knocks him into the water. Then he takes down the rest of them with ease. One of them falls beside Jeffries who orders it to get back up. When he does the creature which used to be a man reaches up to choke him to death but one of Batman's Batarangs knocks the hand away. Jeffries runs off while Batman starts to be overpowered and tries to make his escape. "He's beating them!" Jeffries calls out.

The fat man has been running for a while and finally gets away from the rest. "This isn't how it's supposed to be. Why am I here?" He starts to panic. "This isn't how he said it would be." He spins around when he hears a step behind him. Red X walks out from the shadows and takes off his helmet. "Hello father." The younger Jeffries says with his usual serious expression. "What the hell is going on!?" Jeffries yells at his son. "You said those things could kill Batman!" Jeffries son doesn't say anything. "Talk to me you piece of S#!+!" Kyle starts to laugh. "It must be hard for you 'dad' being the helpless one this time. Watching your whole life fall around you. Seeing your death right in front of your eyes." "One of those things tried to kill me!" "The same way you tried to kill my mother?" Jeffries begins to understand now. "You knew about that?" "My mother's dead because of you." "That happened a long time ago." Jeffries tries to talk to his son. "I was the one who raised you. I took you into my home. I made you the head of my security for a multimillion dollar corporation. I'm the reason you're alive!" "And the reason my mom's dead." "Who cares about that filthy hoar! You think she's a saint but she was just a dirty B!+(* looking to scam money from me!" "You B@$+@(&!" Kyle's face contorts into an expression of pure anger. He takes out one of the X guns and goes to fire but it's knocked out of his hand by a Batarang. "That's enough Kyle." Batman tells the furious young man who raises his other gun. "Shut up!" He calls up. "This fucking pig raped my mother and tried to poison her in the hospital when she got pregnant! He killed my mother and tried to kill me before I was even born! I made it through but my mother didn't. I found out the whole story. After he failed in killing me, word got out that he had a son and he raised me out of a need to preserve his image. I've wanted him dead since I was ten years old so don't tell me I need to think this through or that I can't waste my life on this because I was born to kill him!" "I understand that's what you feel but this isn't how to get back at him. Let him be tried for his crimes." "No! He doesn't deserve a trial! He needs to die, not be pampered by a lenient justice system which tends to the rich! This whole thing was organized to drag him out to the gutters of the streets to die with the rats of the city! I'm gonna kill him slowly. I'll make him suffer like my mother did." He tightens his grip on his gun. "And I wont let you stop me."

A flurry of bombs, Batarangs, bullets and flashes erupt the alley ways as Wayne fights Kyle. Kyle launches X's from his belt, slashing at the new Bat Armour, which deflects it. Batman dives in and goes for a shot to the face but feels the sharp pain of a bullet in his lower left calve muscle. He screams out as Kyle punches his head with an amped up fist. Kyle sighs heavily under the pressure of keeping up with Batman, who punches his face repeatedly over the course of their fight as it is the only unprotected part of him at the moment. Kyle is bested by Wayne who knocks away his gun and pins him against a wall. "You're out of options." Batman tells him. "Let's take him to justice." Kyle sighs. "Thank you for trying mr.Wayne." He says with blood running down his lower lip. "But not everyone believes in your justice." Wayne looks down at Kyle's hand. A hand held X opens up and begins to light up little bulbs at its sides. "You might want to run." He tells him and Batman swats the explosive from his hand, trying to pull him along but Kyle pushes him off and out of the alley. Kyle tosses the explosive at his father, who it sticks to. The man screams in terror as the explosive beeps and he is surrounded in flames. Batman tires to go in to save Jeffries who is burning alive but Kyle goes to stop him. Batman overpowers Kyle but is too late to stop his father from dying. "He's dead?" Kyle asks Batman. "Yes." He responds, taking out handcuffs from his belt. "And you are going to jail." "I understand." Kyle holds out his arms.

The drug bust goes well from that point on. Arkham's plans kept Gordon's men one step ahead of the drug smugglers and everything was put back into place. As Kyle Jeffries is placed in one of Gordon's police vehicles to be taken to jail he looks up at Batman with his usual face and says "I knew it." "Knew what?" Batman asks. Kyle looks him dead in the eyes and smiles. "I knew could pull it off." They close the doors and drive him off. "What did that mean?" Gordon asks Batman who scowls as the final pieces begin to come together.

The Bat Mobile flies through the entrance to the cave. Batman jumps out before the platform stops spinning and runs over to the Bat Computer. What he finds is an unconscious butler in place of Alex Arkham, bandages and a note. He wakes Alfred who groans before realizing what happened. "Master Bruce. I'm afraid young master Alex" "He knocked you unconscious." "Yes sir. But I cannot understand why." Wayne picks up the letter and bandages. "This was what he used to bandage his arm after the incident with the Mad Hatter." "Why would he leave that behind?" Alfred asks getting to his feat. "To tell me that he could use his arm the whole time. If I'd known his arm was better I'd have started teaching him more martial arts moves." "Wy would that be a problem, sir?" "Because a person's way of fighting is like a finger print. He didn't want me to be on the receiving end of his fighting style. I believe it's because Red X has a habit of attacking his opponents in an X formation which he attacks with his blades and flying X's. He left this to clarify that." "Sir?" "There where so many hints. Clues he'd left behind. I can't believe I didn't see it." "Sir. Please. Don't beat yourself up over this. None of us wanted to see this happening. Master Alex was much like master Dick when he was young." "But that wasn't completely him. He used some of his own personality traits to create an alternate persona which was believable. And he played us." Wayne opens his costume chambers. "And it was all to have fun, making a fool of the Batman. He played me for sport and took a prize along with him." "What prize sir." "Take a look." Several gadgets and suits are missing. "He wanted to gain further access to the Batcave, so he could steel my suits." "Mostly Nightwing models and the older Batman armours." "He said he loved armour." Bruce sits down in his chair. "How did I let this happen? He orchestrated the whole thing." Alfred puts a hand on Wayne's shoulder. "I know sir. I was also growing fond of him."

Red X

Ch08

Against a million odds Alex Arkham had hacked into the Jeffries dummy company's computers and found a file marked 'Xenothium'. What it contained was a list of drop off spots for  the next month. This gave Batman the perfect opportunity to strike back at the enemy. They agreed that they couldn't assume the information was valid and planned an assault to test it.

The Batman stands over an overturned car and twelve cases of smuggled goods. "That's the sixth one we've had right." Arkham's voice comes in over the communicator in Batman's cowl. Batman ties up the guilty parties and leaves the scene. "That makes six out of ten. It looks like whoever our hacking friend is, he anticipated our finding his information. He's testing us too." "He's trying to figure out how much we know by how many of these things we stop." "Exactly. How are you doing with gaining more information?" "Nadda. He must be staying disconnected so we can't get at him again. Luckily we know he's related to Jeffries." "How's your arm? I know you're nursing a wound from that time before." "I'm fine." "Take the rest of the night off. I'll be investigating Jeffries son." "Shouldn't I stay around incase" "Go home." "Alright."

Jeffries business tower is on high alert due to the security break ins of the last while. Kyle Jeffries leaves the heavily guarded building around four in the morning. It doesn't bother him. He's used to working late nights. As Batman has figured out he's not only head of his fathers security but also the most likely person to be running the side company they keep for illegal activities. He's a formidable child, young, determined and someone who doesn't blink when faced with the figure of a man feared by Gotham's underground. "Good evening Kyle." Batman says, his silhouette breaking from the shadows of the dimly lit streets. "I thought your business with my father was complete." Jeffries reaches into his pocket and pulls out a gun. "I under stand that you could take this from me without much effort." He says with an air of confidence rarely seen in him. "Or can you." "I'm here to talk about Veiune Enterprises." "So, that was you snooping around in my computer systems." Jeffries openly admits. "I had a lot of fun with that." The look on his face is far from the straight and serious look he usually has. This one is confident, smug and a little sadistic. He glares at the knight of Gotham City as if he was prey in the jungle. "I really wanted Turman to take you down. Oh, you must've figured out her real name by now." "I want your computer." Batman points towards the laptop under Jeffries arm. Jeffries tosses it over to him. "It's empty." He tells him. "I figured you'd be looking for me when you realized that I'm the only one in my fathers company who has the brains to handle something like this. After all, we can't trust too many people with that information. I had to do it all by my self. There's only one issue." The laptop begins to spew a red mist as Jeffries reaches his arm out towards Batman. several spinning X's fly from under his sleeve and cut across Batman's left arm and lower right thigh. "I really wanted to play with you a bit longer but now I've got to keep you quiet. If Gordon or Barbara hear anything about my little side job as head of a fictional company then the whole thing goes down the crapper." Jeffries slides another group of X's out of his sleeve and holds them up by his face, which contorts into a wicked grin. "Eh, Brucie."

It's amazing how many of Bruce Wayne's fights end up in Crime Alley. The battle with Jeffries goes on as the Batman is hunted down. Like a caged animal he glides through the streets weaving in between alleyways, but for nothing. Jeffries is close behind him every step of the way. Batman takes refuge in a seemingly abandoned building. When he breaks through he  sees a small group of homeless people around a fire inside of a trash can. They look up at him with wide eyes, but one of them steps from the crowd. "Come on, come on." He waves for him to come in. "Before anyone sees ya." Batman nods and walks into the house. "Someones chasing me." Wayne says, leaning against a wall. "I don't want to give you any trouble." "You keep us outa trouble. I've seen ya. It's only fare. And with a tick in ya like that." He points to a gaping hole in Wayne's left arm. "Look like a bullet wound." "It is." Batman picks himself up off the wall. "I can work through it. All I need is a bandage." The homeless people find some cloth and help him tie up his wound. When he's finished bandaging his arm, Batman thanks the people and leaves.

Batman walks out of the run down house in Crime Alley. "Batman, baby." A voice calls out from above. "I've been looking all over for ya." Jeffries had switched into his costume. He's now holding the guns he used to shoot Batman earlier on. "Aw! And you got a little boo boo." He aims and fires a shot at batman who moves out of the way just in time to avoid needing another bandage. "I'm tired of playing around Batsy." X calls out. "You found out my little secrets. Even the ones I keep from daddy. That's too bad." He aims and fires down again and again, Batman narrowly avoiding them one by one. "Now I have to make sure you can't interfere anymore."

Red X chases Batman down into an abandoned parking garage. X is unnaturally fast. The Xenothium suit keeps him one step ahead of Batman on every turn. This isn't like before. Batman knows it. At least he can find some shelter in between the old broken down cars. X walks slowly though each row of cars, both arms held out to each side, both holding the weapon that could kill the bat. Of all the villains that have had Batman cornered, this is the one to do it. Not a clown or a bird. Not a king or a deity. Just a rich kid in an expensive suit, wielding twin pistols. But the batman's not gonna die because some bratty silver spoon kid got lucky. He jumps over the hood of the car he's hiding behind and tosses a smoke grenade. Red X locks on with his thermal sensors and deflects the Batarangs his prey tosses at him. They Batarangs explode and cause more smoke but also throw off the sensors with the burst of heat they produce. The next feeling Jeffries can make out is the feeling of a fist being driven into the left side of his stomach. Batman had punched him with all of his might and made a good impact, right through his suit. "You can't beat me." Batman taunts X as he knocks the pistols from his hands. "I've fought psychopaths, killer, demons and aliens." He delivers punch after punch to the skull on his enemies helmet. "And you think you can kill me? You're just a kid." "I'm a kid." X says, looking up, with a crack along the top of his helmet. "But I got fun toys." He triggers the muscle enhancer in his armour and delivers a devastating blow to the dark knight's gut and tosses him down a hole in the ground, leading to the next floor down. He jumps in and is about to finish him when the Bat Mobile skids in from around the corner and causes Red X to jump out of the way. The car activates its shielding and goes to take down Red X who escapes. "Doesn't matter." Red X calls out to Batman before he escapes. "You're already too late to stop what I have planned." Then he activates his invisibility belt.

When Wayne gets back to the cave he sees Arkham in the chair where he left him. "I told you to go home." He tells Arkham who sighs in retort. "If wasn't here you'd be dead." "I would be wounded. Not dead." "I figured Jeffries might get hostile and drop his cover if he really was Red X so I stayed behind and kept radio contact open. I didn't go after you myself but I made sure to send the car by remote control when you got shot. I don't regret my decision but I accept any punishment you see fit." Wayne smiles and wipes his forehead before sighing in relief. "How about we send you home and have you think about what happened and how you could've handled it without the Bat Mobile. Does that sound like a good punishment?" "Sir, yes sir." Arkham salutes. He gets up to go home. "Also." Wayne turns around and tosses him a USB. "I slipped that onto Jeffries real computer before going to see him. It may not have much seeing as he was deleting his hard drives, but see what you can get." "I'll see what I can do." Arkham smiles back and heads home.

Later on Alfred questions Wayne about his exploits. "Several prisoners and members of Arkham Asylum have broken out earlier while I was fighting Red X. Something big is going to happen Alfred." Wayne says as he prepares for the small amount of sleep he'll be getting for a while. "I don't know what it is yet but I know it will be big."

Red X

Ch07

Against the chilled air of the night, Gotham's eternal guardian flies gracefully over building tops, searching for the crime which gives the alley's he calls his nightly home their name. But tonight he is guided by a different voice.

Alexander Arkham sits in front of several flashing monitors, watching each carefully as he deciphers each one and their uses. "Batcave to Batman." He speaks into a microphone headset. "The computer's picking up an alarm at Gotham Central Bank." "Metahuman?" "Common street thugs. Armed and a with a red getaway car. Must not be too smart. Red stands out too much." "Their route?" "Heading north, towards Crime Alley. Must be our lucky night." It hasn't been long since Arkham became Batman's watchful assistant, but in the short time he's worked for him he has mastered the Bat Computer and began work in helping to monitor Gotham City. "Looks like two robberies now." Arkham notices. "They're both going along the same route. Considering the robbers actions so far I'd say they might just be a coincidence but even so, they could be working together." He doesn't even need a second to think. "Move down route 34 and up alley 6. That should put them on a collision course with each other. I assume you can get everyone out without any fatalities."

Of course, the Batman achieves his goal flawlessly but there is an unfortunate surprise when he sees the cargo inside of the trunks. "Looks like these guys had a little help with their heist." batman crouches down so the camera in his cowl can get a good look at the glowing orange substance in the trunk. Arkham recognizes it. "It's a Xenothium steroid. It's supposed to give people superhuman abilities. It's rampant back home." "It seems someone is trying to expand their business territory." Batman scoops some of the drug into a baggy. He dodges to the side before a powerful fist comes down and smacks into the pavement. "I'm assuming these guys sample their own merchandise." "It should only enhance his regular human abilities. But it also enhances emotions. You should be able to take him down if he took a small dose but higher levels are much more dangerous." "How dangerous?" "It makes the Venom drug look like tylenol." "Sounds like a challenge."

Batman keeps up with the drugged thief and takes him down in mere seconds. "At some point you'll have to tell me where you get your information." Batman says into his communicator, pretending not to notice one of the thieves grabbing some cash and running off. "It's common knowledge back home." "How does something like that keep under ULA radar?" "Your guess is as good as mine." Batman takes time from the banter to fallow the retreating thief.

The thief leads him to a small port side warehouse owned by Jeffries Enterprises. "You said Red X was a part of Jeffries company before, right?" Arkham asks. "I don't know for sure but I was told that he took an assassination job for him. The younger one is my prime suspect." "That seems a little too perfect." "It's all I have at the moment." "Wouldn't that make me the next best guess? Since I'm the only other person from back home with an abnormally high IQ." "Yes." "Then having me at the Bat Computer is a risk." "Yes." "Cool. I'm like, doubleagenty." "On the other hand I think I might be safe."

The running thief finally gets inside, where three more people are waiting for him. He practically collapses when he makes it. "Where are the other guys?" One of the waiting men ask him. "The bat got em. I was the only one who got away." "You look bad. You need another shot?" "Yeah. I feel like my body's falling apart." They pick him up and put him on the table. "This all you got?" One of them tosses the money at him. "This isn't worth the stuff you take up. Leave him." They begin to walk away but Batman drops from the ceiling. "So much for camaraderie."

The frightened men waste no time in exorcising their violent natures and open fire on Batman, who tosses a smoke bomb and quickly dispatches two of them. In the confusion a bag of the Xenothium drugs spills out of the convulsing thief's table. "Dude! I will freaking blow your head off!" One of them gets lucky and happens to have the perfect position for a shot to Batman's skull. "I'm standing two feet away from you. I can't miss." He backs up against the table. "Now, just let me go and I wont put a nice lump of lead in between those little glass eyes." A hand reaches out from behind the man and closes on his neck. "You where gonna let me die." The hands close tighter and don't stop. "You where gonna let me die here." "Stop it!" The man chokes as his throat closes under the pressure of the other man's palms. "What's wrong bro? Can't breath?" He asks as he delivers the final squeeze and drops the body on the floor. "Some brother. You where gonna let me die. I could've been home right now. All I needed was one shot and I woulda got home safe. you got me into this S#!+, man. the fuck!?" "What's going on?" Arkham asks over the microphone. "One of them turned on the others, crushed his wind pipe and suffocated him." Batman responds. "He's ranting to himself now." "He must've overdosed at some point. Be careful. Xenothium drugs are unpredictable. If he had more than a certain amount he could end up with crazy" Batman dodge an attack from the overdosed thug. The impact with the ground causes a tremor and a loud bang, which resonates through the mouthpiece in Batman's cowl. "Crap baskets! What was that?" "I'd say he's overdosed." Batman tosses a few smoke bombs which are swatted out of the air by the pumped up monster. "Then he's dead when it burns out." Arkham says in a depressed voice. "From what i hear it sounds like he just has super strength." "No endurance?" "He makes a wincing sound every time he hits something. I'd say he's feeling pain about twice as hard as usual. It's probably more of a Xenothium powered adrenaline rush. Once it's finished, so is he." "How long?" "If you can get a transceiver on his chest I could tell you." No problem. Batman flips over the rioting creature and sticks a small, bat shaped, transceiver onto his chest, taking off before he gets hammered by brick crushing fists. "How long?" Batman asks. "His heartbeat's insane. I'd say about twelve seconds. If you have any way to save him then now's the time." "I don't" Wayne looks on through his cowl as the creature that was once a human boy  beats at it's chest again and again, before screaming out in pain and falling down to the floor.

When Wayne returns to the Batcave he finds Arkham throwing up window after window on all of the Bat Computer monitors. "I've traced the car through several dealerships, owned by Jeffries and two by smaller companies. I still don't know how they got the drugs in the first place. There's no Xenothium deposits in Gotham but I'm tracing the nearest ones and if I need to I can hack into Jeffries records to see if there are any" Wayne puts his hand on Arkham's shoulder. "That's enough for now." Wayne tells him. "We can't bring the boy back." Arkham chokes back tears as he turns back to the screen. "It'll make me feel better to keep working, even if I'm not finding anything." Wayne smirks and takes a closer look at the monitors. "What did you say about hacking into Jeffries files?" "Did I mention that I'm a half decent computer hacker?" Arkham cracks his knuckles and focuses on his new objective.

Within minutes all of Jeffries computer systems are open to the Batcave. "This is all there is?" Wayne asks Arkham. "This is as far as I could find." "Maybe there's another…Bingo." Arkham pulls up a new mainframe on the computer. "An external mainframe?" Wayne says. "Someone's been taking all of the illegal files and putting them on a separate computer and operating under the guise of a separate business." "Ever seen that movie about that dude who was sent to jail…something redemption?" Arkham explains. "What they've done here is pretty much the same thing but with corporations. They have one identity to take the fall and one to get the benefits. A John Doe personality incase someone gets on their trail. Jeffries company seemingly has nothing to do with this one. The actions of one just happens to benefit the other." "And all of these names are faked." Batman points at the company heads. "Some of them may be real." Arkham looks them over. "Fall guys who have been paid to make the company look legit but make it seem as if there are shadowy figure heads who have somehow escaped the law and can therefore continue business if the deals get sour." "Then the question is, who's been organizing this?" "I don't know. He'd have to be incredibly smart to pull this off. And especially daring. This isn't something to take lightly. If found out both companies would suffer the consequences." "A genius at Jeffries company. It would have to be his son."

The Batman could not have been more right. At that very moment the younger Jeffries was checking up on their dummy company. He sits in the corner of his father's office with a laptop on his lap when he notices something off. "It seems we have a visitor." He smiles. "Let's see if he want to play."

The Bat Computer screens begin to shut down but Arkham is already fixing the problem with one of his own. "He's trying to hack us back." Arkham gets to work. "I'll right a virus and send it to him. It should send us all of his data."

Jeffries looks at his screen with honest interest when he sees Arkham's present. "A virus?" He taps at his keyboard. "A nasty one too. Well, aren't you fun."

Arkham gets hit with a counter virus which he contains and destroys before it can give up any information. "Let's see who you really are." Arkham hammers at the keyboard furiously as a big grin comes over his face.

Jeffries can't help but laugh. "Well. You are good, Mr.Hacker. But I'm afraid I'll just have to play with you some other time."

Arkham sits back in his chair and sighs. "Well, he didn't get anything from us." He tells Wayne. "But neither did we. He disengaged before I could send a new program." "Good job." Wayne tells him. "Now we know it has to be Jeffries son. No one else could keep up with what you pulled off. I'm impressed." "Yeah. That was something." "I mean with you." Wayne tells him with a smile. "I don't think I've seen anyone do something like that. Not anyone human." "Thanks." Arkham smiles before a light blinks on the screen. "Lookie here." He smirks. "Looks like I impressed myself today." One file was captured in the desperate struggle. The file marked 'Xenothium'.

Chapter 14 part 1

One thing about being on the line for official X Men is more work than one man can do. Now that I'm on the X Men roster I've had very little time and a lot of work piling up. Last night was the first night in a week I got any sleep and as it turns out it's time for field work.

Just me and a team I spend less and less time with, going out into some Arctic mountains to look for a mutant signature found on Cerebro. I've never been on a recruiting mission so I got pulled from training for this. "The professor said that the signature belonged to a feral mutant so we should be ready for anything." Bobby informs the rest of us as we sit in the Blackbird, blankets of snow below us. "Feral?" Impact asks. "Like Wolverine or Wolfsbane." Micro answers him. "They exhibit animalistic qualities." 'Like scratching off your limbs and eating them.' Vibe writes down on her note pad to try to put Impact on edge. "What's the problem?" Impact asks, flexing a bicep while putting on his confident face. "Invulnerability trumps claws and teeth." "You'll have to worry about the rest of the team if he attacks us." I inform him. "Cora and Spector are fine on their own but you should watch out for Vibe and Micro." "What're you gonna do tough guy?" Impact asks. "I've got sensory abilities so I'll be fine." "You're only real power." Impact leans back in his chair and smiles like an A$$. I decide to leave it until the mission's over to deal with that. I was put on as the teams back up leader but I haven't been with the team enough lately. I'm not really sure what to do.

We find ourselves in a snowstorm and have to land the Blackbird. "That came out of nowhere." Bobby peers through the blinding winds. "Your call leader." He looks to Abigail who thinks it through. "We can't leave the mutant out here in this. We'll split up into teams. Micro, Outburst and Intersperse will go with me to search while everyone else stays behind and keeps in radio contact. Micro should be able to keep us warm if anything happens" "She means with my powers doesn't she?" Micro sighs but Spector ignores him and continues. "And Intersperse will be able to help us find out way back if we get lost by using you guys as an anchor. If we do get attacked Outburst will handle it." Bobby agrees and we head out.

We can hardly see past the field Micro is putting up around us. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask Spector. "Why?" "If this mutant is in their animalistic state wont the big low of Micro's field drive it away from us?" "Good point." She signals for Micro to take down the field, which he is hesitant to do since it is the only thing keeping the cold away from us. Now the only thing keeping us from freezing are these special arctic suits.

The recovery/possible rescue mission doesn't bare fruit for a while. As scanner I search for any signs of mutant signatures but don't find any so we decide to head back. Before we can the ground beneath us begins to glow and even though my senses aren't picking up anything theres a nervous itching in the back of my spine. "Everyone move!" I call out as the ground shatters and ice water fills the air. Micro heats up the air so we don't get splashed. I've never seen ice evaporate so quickly.

I feel the danger feeling again and jump back just before my chest can be ripped open by five outstretched claws. Claws I recognize. "Cougar!" His maniacal jaws appear through the waves of icy water. "Heya boy." He reaches out for me. "I missed ya." I jump over his arm and place both hands on his back, blasting him with heat energy. He turns and slashes a neat line across my throat, making me fall on my knees and clench the spot, quickly focusing my healing energy on it. "I been wanting ta pay ya back for smashing my skull in before!" He reaches back to hit me but Outburst tackles him into an ice wall. "Are you okay?" Spector asks me. "He slit my throat." I stand back up, all healed. "That's the same guy" "From before. Cougar." I interrupt her. "I know. I'll take care of him. Send everyone else back to the Blackbird for pick up." "We can't find our way back from here. Let Outburst handle him and use her as a" "She wont last. He's got mental powers, remember?" I snarl as I see the blood red pigment taking over his eye and remember that it triggers his mental abilities. I point one finger in his direction and a line of ice forms like a bullet, impaling him before he can use the ability on Cora. "I'm the only psychic. I have to fight him." "Is that the only reason?" Spector asks me. "Because I'm a psychic now too." I'm about to argue but I think it over for the seconds I have before he's back on me again, ripping through the snow and barreling towards me.

I go to toss an ice blast at Cougar but am blown away by another person's energy blast. "Exodus clone." Spector looks up at the red skinned mutant floating in the air. She looks around for the Magneto clone but can't find him. "Bobby!" She checks in with the others but we are cut off. "I think it's safe to say we walked into a trap." "Really?" Micro starts sending heat bombs into the air. "I never would've guessed."

Cora and I try to take down Cougar while Exodus is dealt with by Spector and Micro but we're not doing so hot. Cougar has whipped my but like nothing and left me flat on the ground in the snow, my protective suit gone, not that I need it with Bobby's powers keeping me immune to freezing to death. "Not getting up?" Cougar asks me, spitting on the back of my head as I lie face down in the snow. "Aren't these mutant upgrades just amazing? The doc said I get them for doing a few favours but what really made me want to take this job was having another chance to see you again." He walks closer to me and grabs me by the back of the head. "I couldn't wait to see your face when I take everything you love and destroy it." "Didn't think you where that cliche." I try to stay on top of things but I can feel myself giving in. "Tough guy. But then I guess I should know how tough you can get. Don't tell me Xavier put the spark out of you before I could see the real you again." "Bite me." "I'll do that. Then I'll skin you, cut you and beat you too. The only thing I'm not sure of is whether I'll get bored or you'll bite off your tongue first. The best part is watching as you give up the will to fight and I take everything from you. Do you know how many people I made into living puppets over the years. If you can call it living." "I've heard this before." I flip back, using my head as a centre of balance and freeze him over from the back. A simple flex of his muscles and he's back in seconds. "I told you I got upgraded."

Exodus is easy enough to block but hard to keep up with. "I don't know what's wrong with him." Spector watches the clone get more and more tired out. "Wait. Hit him with everything you have." She tells Micro. "That's what I'm doing." Micro grumbles as he sends wave after wave at the clone. "If you can hit him with enough microwave energy his cells could" "Melt 'im like a popsicle, got it." Micro tries to get close enough but Exodus escapes him. "Doctor!" Exodus screams out as the earth beneath him opens up, dumping us all into the gapping hole int the ground.

Chapter 13

I step out into the common area of the X Mansion, closing my eyes and listening to the surrounding. I control my breathing and focus my mind, forcing away all thoughts aside from survival. This is insane. Why did I decide to do this? I flip to the side before I get a chair to the face and twirl around to take on the enemy but there's no one there. Next I hear a fluttering sound and dive forwards before an explosion takes me out. How long have we been at this? A hand reaches out towards me and I flash intense blue light out from my arm before it could touch me.

I run through one of the dormitory halls, eyes dodging from side to side, scanning the walls for anything unusual. I jump back before one of the doors bursts open and burning hot fire flies through. That's not the end of the attack. I can hear the sound of blades in the air so I flip over the attacker behind me. Before they can come back at me I send an electrical current down the hall to cover my escape.

I can't keep going like this. I'm too far on the defensive. I know where everyone of them is but they each have so much more experience than me. I've taken one of them down so far, now I know who I'm taking out next. One of the enemies is alone so I track them down to the outside. He's trying to get his com link working. A little static electricity makes sure that doesn't happen. I go to sneak up on him but he knows I'm coming. Spinning around he blasts me with frosty energy but I radiate heat to melt through it and send out my own ice blast. He smirks with confidence at the futile attack, not realizing that it was a feint and I blast him with heat, forcing him into his natural form and I finish it with a straight punch to the face.

Next up I track down two at a time. This time when I attack they gat a distress call through and everyone learns where I am. I can feel them zeroing in on me. Razor sharp blades flash in the light of the dinning hall. I grab the persons arm and flip them over my shoulder and into the table, blasting them with energy and burning them to the point they couldn't move. The partner comes at me next, swinging from the chandelier on the ceiling and kicking me away from the other. "Mr.McCoy." I wipe the blood from my face and attack the Beast with a blast of ice, taking out one of his arms and one of his legs in one go. "Pretty good Skylar." He compliments me and holds out his frozen limbs so the new arrivals to the combat can help him. Magma melts the ice off of his limbs as Gambit tosses glowing cards at me. I smirk at the lame attempt at attack and suck the kinetic energy right out of the cards, sending it into the table beside them and blowing it up. I go for a knock out punch of Beast but Magma blasts at me, forcing me to jump back. I've already got Rogue and Iceman knocked out but I still have these guys and two others. Speaking of which, an arrow flies by my face, nearly cutting my cheek. Crap. They're all here. Magma blasts my body with her powers and I melt away. "An icy apparition." Beast poetically puts it. "He was fighting us with a clone." Moonstar looks around for any traps. "Looks like he's been studying his teachers abilities." "Spread out and search. If you find him contact the others before you engage. Remember that he nows where we all are." Wolverine gives the orders.

Beast and Gambit locate me first. Gambit charges a card but Beast puts his hand on his shoulder. "Our orders are to observe, not engage." "He's just a student." Gambit ignores the warning and tosses the card, creating a smoke screen. He aims his pole and strikes at the back of my head, but the ice falls away before it hits. "Another clone." Gambit says as he spins around and blocks my ice sword with his pole. "This one the real, yeah?" He asks. "The one and only." I smirk and devolve the sword, using my newly freed hands to blast him with spastic electricity and nail him to the wall, giving me enough time to counter another one of Beasts kicks. I charge my body with kinetic energy to give me enough of a boost to keep up with him. The static charge wears off on Gambit and he whips out his cards. I can't snatch them out of the air but I absorb their energy, redirecting it into the wall behind Beast, knocking him unconscious with the debris. Gambit's next. I jump through the smoke and go for a lash with my sword. He side steps it and charges the thing with his energy. I drop it and run before the thing blows up and use the cover to run.

I try going after Magma since I can cancel out her powers but Moonstar is with her so it might be harder than I think, but I have to start somewhere. It looks like it's only Magma but I know Moonstar is nearby. I have to be careful. I face Magma straight on and walk into the room confidently. She goes to use her power but by controlling the thermal energy I cancel her powers out and render her the same as a human. I go on the attack and head in for close combat, giving her the only chance she has of taking me on right now, but I have to jump back to avoid an arrow and in so doing I give up my kill shot. I go to send a blast of ice at Moonstar but am faced with Abigail instead of my enemy. "What are you-" I begin, getting shot through the chest by two arrows. Moonstar thinks she's got me but all she did was fall for my plan. Telling where the arrows came from by the way they hit me was a snap and I sent freezing blasts from my hands back at her seconds after hearing the line snapping on her bow. She was frozen before I was even hit. Next I snap the arrows in my chest and heal the damage. "What if she hit vitals?" Magma asks me. "She's a teacher." I explain, sending an electrical blast at her. "I knew she'd aim for a non-vital area. If not then it's a good thing I already duplicated all of my vital organs just in case."

Only three left. Wolverine, Gambit and Karma. They've figured out who's left and regrouped. The only way to end this is to attack them head on since they aren't giving me much of a choice. I meet up with them at the entrance hall. "You ready for dis boy?" Gambit asks me, charging his cards which only proves to my advantage as I manipulate his energy and absorb it into a rock I have in my hand. "I think so." I say, feeling pretty good. I just hope I don't throw up. I toss the rock at Logan and use the distraction it makes when it blows to go after Gambit. Close combat was a mistake. He smacks me in the back of the head with his staff and knocks me to the floor. He goes in for the kill but I blast a heat beam from my back. Not the flashiest move but if X men where worried about appearance we wouldn't have the fast ball special.  Just as I'm about to get up Logan slashes at me with his claws. I go in for an attack but get hit with a charged card. I was too distracted with Logan to notice. My attention keeps getting pulled between the two of them and I get more and more frustrated. The two of them keep one step ahead of me, in perfect synch. I guess I should expect teamwork from two long time X men. As Logan runs in to distract me from stopping Gambit's kinetics I get hit with energy. I get scratched when I focus on suppressing Gambit's powers too. that leaves one person out, Karma. I look up to see her watching us from on top of the staircase. So that's it.

Once I put Karma's possession powers and Logan's weird synchronization with Gambit together it was a snap to figure out that she was body hopping between them. Number one rule of fighting the possessed; Take out the possessor and the drones will fall, or in this case loose their perfect synch. I blast at Karma but she returns to her body and backflips her way away from the attack. "Can't stop what you can't catch." She tells me. I go to get her but Wolverine attack me before I can. "Listen darlin." He calls up to Karma. "We agreed we wouldn't do that possession thing." "I thought it might help." She explains. "I like to fight my own battles." He says, taking a claw filled swing at me. I block with an electric energy sword which carries up his claws and electrifies him. With his muscles temporarily out of commission I go after Karma. I've been especially worried about her powers this whole time. I'm almost to her when Gambit pins me. "Get im girl." He tells Karma who goes to possess me. "No!" I struggle to get free. "He's blocking me off." Karma tells Gambit. "I got him." Wolverine helps Gambit keep me down. I snarl and squirm to get free as I feel my consciousness becoming uneasy. "I don't get it." Karma tries harder and harder to get me to black out. "I'm not using the same power as telepathy but hi mind is rejecting my attempts to take over his body." My eyes begin to glow a very dark crimson. "Get up!" I demand my body to move as I start to stand with both Gambit and Wolverine on top of me. "That ain't good." Gambit says as the two of them are lifted off the ground. "Keep em down." Wolverine tell him. "If we don't hell take us down as soon as he has the chance." "Yer training at work, eh?" Karma ignores the two and focuses only on taking me down. She focuses all of her power on me but it's too late. I've already woken my psychic powers. Crimson streams of what looks like electricity erupt from my body, shredding through Wolverine and tossing Gambit into the wall. It knocks Karma back but she doesn't fall and keeps pushing to get control of me. The fabric of my jacket and shirt shred under the pressure of the energy seeping from my body. My long hair is waving behind me like I'm in a gigantic fan and my glowing red eyes surge flames of psychic power. I walk up to Karma, the red electricity destroying everything around us and I reach out and put my palms on her temples. The red energy subsides as she closes her eyes and falls unconscious. "You still got us." Gambit says as he and Logan walk up behind me. We're all in shredded rags from the little show I just pulled off. "I'm impressed." Gambit applauds, shuffling his cards. "But let's see how much you got left, no?" I take stance and create two ice swords. I parry Logan's attack and steal the charge of one of Gambit's flying cards. Turns out he's learnt to use his cards for distraction instead of attack against me and took the time they gave him to come up behind me. I can't outrun them and I have very little energy left from that crazy display of power before I decide to go all out with this and go for broke. I freeze gauntlets over my arms with spikes at the end of each knuckle for added damage. Next I go in for hand to hand combat.

I'm no match for Logan or Gambit and I soon realize my mistake in taking them both on in close combat. I've used up all of the ice I can and now I'm down to energy alone. I charge my body with kinetic energy, keeping myself one step ahead of each lethal blow. With Logan every attack is deadly and with Gambit I can't tell if he's attacking or setting me up. This is what experienced X men are like in battle. Awesome. I have to go for the kill now. I charge up a blast of thermal energy and strike Gambit, burning him and almost taking him out of the game. Logan's next. I sear his legs and make him and easier target. Then I blast him with heat until he can't move and turn my attention back to Gambit and go in for a knock out punch. My punch is interrupted by a blast of red energy which I absorb into my arms and turn back on the attacker who simply blasts me back harder and knocks me to my butt. "Surrender." Cyclops orders and I give in when I realize I can't get up anymore.

The Danger Room session disappears and I'm surrounded by the Xavier student body. Cyclops gives me an applause. "Let's all congratulate Skylar Medley for coming so close to defeating each teacher in the school." Everyone starts clapping and I rub my healing neck and smile, a little embarrassed. "Now, Skylar made made one fatal mistake, he used a power that cost him too much for his body to continue performing at full strength." Mr.Summers continues. "But other than that it was a flawless victory. I'm certain if I didn't step in as a surprise enemy he would have won." "Speak fer yourself." Gambit says, trying to act like I didn't totally destroy him but he's having a little trouble standing up straight. "As mutants we must always be aware of our limitations. Our powers can be deceiving and make us feel invincible but that is never the case." Mr.Summers keeps talking to the students. "But on another note, Skylar has performed very well today and shall be commended for his incredible advancement…And so will everyone else. Since our teaching staff will need a little recuperating time classes are cancelled today and you are dismissed." Now, that earns me an applause.

Later I am called to Professors Xavier's office. He's looking really impressed with me when I walk in and sit down in the chair in front of him, Logan, Bobby, ms.Frost and mr.Summers. "We are all very pleased with your progress Skylar." He tell me. "Defeating several X men, in a training battle or not is no minor feat for a student. You should be proud." "I am sir." I say with a blush and an involuntary grin which is met with a warm smile from the prof. "It's not only your recent scores in both your training and scholastic work but all of us have noticed exceptional growth in you personally. We are all very proud of you and would like to extend an invitation." Cyclops steps forward. "We would like to have you become an official X man." He tells me. "You will be taken on for more dangerous mission alongside us teachers as an equal. This will require courage and quick thinking which you have shown us in the past. We'll ease you into it at first but from now on you will be an X man through and through." "I appreciate it." I tell them, not sure how to say what I want to say. "But I don't think I'm ready for a spot on the X men yet." "I understand." The prof tells me. "There are certain advantages to being on your team isn't there?" "You saw right through me." I sigh and blush. The prof wheels his chair over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure a young woman who walks through walls would be sad to see you leave the team as well." I don't say anything but my expression tells it all. "We thought this might happen so I took the liberty of coming up with a solution." Ms.Frost tells me. "If you do become an X man then you will also partake in the works of Excelsior during your time away from the team. We will keep you on call, if that's okay with you." "That sounds cool." I agree. "I knew you would agree." She says with a triumphant smile. "Then starting next semester you will become an official X man."

Later on after I tell my teammates about everything that happened pretty much everyone congratulates me except Andy who sort of ignores e but that's seems like the usual so I ignore it. A fist clenches and punches the air in rage. "It's not fair." Andy clenches his teeth in anger. "Why him?" "Someone looks pretty unhappy." Macaulay walks out from behind the corner with a condescending smirk on his face. "Beat it Micro." Andy tells him but Macaulay ignores his threatening looks and continues on anyway. "Sky's gotten pretty far da past little while. Now he's even an X man." "Not until next semester." Andy corrects him and Macaulay shrugs. "That's jus a formality. They want him ta graduate first. Which he'll do with flying colours." He pauses to give a more obvious point. "I'm feelin' kinda jealous." "What are you saying?" Andy clenches his fists. "That I'm jealous of him?" "Course not." Macaulay smiles cheerfully. "All he's got is two cute girls in love with him, awesome powers, he's omega," "I get it." Andy interrupts him and walks away. Macaulay sighs as he watches the guy leave. "Seriously. That guy really needs to get his ego under control before 'e gets on Sky's bad side."

Red X

Ch06

There's nothing like sitting alone in a dank, dark cave with the image of a young woman being murdered in front of you two weeks ago running through your mind. For Bruce Wayne the past hour or so has been spent doing that exact thing. It's not grieving for a person he's only met once or twice before that keeps him locked to his chair. It's the same person who's been on his mind since the beginning. So far Red X has done nothing but be a nuisance. Murder is a new thing for him. There was the story Turman told him, but he never trusted her from the beginning. This was solid proof. And it brings him to one conclusion. It may be too early but it is now the best option.

Red X is Kyle Jeffries. But that will have to wait. Research time is over and it is time to make an appearance in front of the masses. A newly appointed charity fund from Wayne Enterprises will now be set up to prove a more adequate facility for the care of Gotham's homeless has been buzzing through the airwaves for a while now. Two weeks to be precise. On the top it look like Wayne just hasn't had enough partying these past few months but underneath it is simply a way for Batman to find information on his newly appointed target.

Wayne's conversation with Jeffries is not going well. So far it's nothing but bragging about how their new security systems will take on "even that lousy Batman" and a quick apology after remember who funds him. Bruce Wayne has fought demons, sharks and super villains of all kinds but if he has to listen to this guy go on any longer he may just lose his lunch. It's clear that the flabby, shrimp covered man is not the athletic, criminal mastermind he's searching for. It has to be the son.

As Wayne searches the room for the younger of the Jeffries he bumps into Alex Arkham and Charlotte Sullivan. "Of course my favourite weapon is the flying guillotine." Arkham sips down a shrimp as he explains. "A real life legend. Anyone who's attacked by it is dead before they know what they where fighting." "I don't know." Wayne gives a wink to a hottie walking by as he multi takes the conversation and his flirting. "Swords are a little preference of mine. Mostly because of the symbolism attached." "You guys are still talking about weapons?" Sullivan asks. "You where doing that when I left." "That was fighting styles." Arkham tells her, fallowed by Wayne. "This is about weapons." "I swear, if he doesn't shut up I'm leaving him." Sullivan looks at Wayne with n injured puppy face. Wayne taps Arkham on the shoulder. "Go take your lady out to dance." He tells him. "If you don't she may keep that promise." Arkham's about to before the glass windows shatter and a high wind picks up throughout the entire floor of the building. "Rich people should really invest in sturdier windows." Arkham sighs.

There is one man in al of Gotham with a large teacup shaped plane capable of hovering in mid air. The Mad Hatter. As he walks confidently out into the crowd of retreating rich people he has a very pompous look about him. He makes a signal with his hand and all of the security guards rush out from behind the doors and flood into the crowd. They are after only one person. Wayne tenses up when they rush towards him but they pass him by and grab onto Sullivan. It's clear now that the Mad Hatter hasn't figured out his secret but what does he want with her? She's rushed into the oddly designed plane and begin to take off. Arkham tries to stop him but is held back by the guards. Sullivan is dragged kicking and screaming into the plane. Wayne breaks free of the brainwashed guard and books it at top speed towards the plane. Arkham is right behind him. That could be a problem.

It doesn't look like a good situation. If only Arkham wasn't on the plane, then Wayne could change into Batman and do a little damage, instead of crouching behind a crate and waiting for an idea to sprout. "It looks like about three of them." Arkham says, brining a shard of glass from the side of the crate. "I used the glass to see them. There's one to the left and two to the right. They don't have hats so I'm guessing they're hired goons." "Do you think we can take them on our own?" "They don't look too strong. That guy at the soup kitchen was more threatening, but they have guns. The trick will be to get them before they can use them." "What's the plan?"

One by one Mad Hatter's hired help is knocked unconscious by the two stowaways. One of them catches on and goes in for the kill on Wayne but Arkham grabs the arm arm with the gun in it and flips the man over his shoulder, bringing an elbow to the head and knocking him out. "Nice moves." Wayne says. "Karate?" "A bit." Arkham ties and gags the goons and hides them behind some crates. "There's a little jujutsu and some other martial arts in there too. When your dad's the head of a nut house you need to learn how to stay protected." "Same for us silver spoon kids." Wayne smiles as he thinks to himself that this whole thing just got a lot easier.

It's not long before the two of them figure out that the guards are too numerous to get through all at once, so they climb into the ventilation system and search from their. The vents are large enough to fit them but the closed spaces make them feel cramped. Arkham keeps himself well handled under the pressure and Wayne takes note of this.

The vents lead the duo to the room where Mad Hatter is keeping Sullivan. They peer through the vent opening above the room. Mad Hatter is pacing around the room with Sullivan sitting on a bed in the corner, screaming her head off. "Then to whom will the ransom I send?" The Hatter storms back and forth, screaming into the mouthpiece of a phone in his clenched hand. "Over backwards for this job I will bend. However the method, get the money fast. Or flying rodents will interfere as they have in the past." The Hatter sighs angrily as he places his phone into his pocket and runs a gloved hand through his hair. He thinks over his predicament and comes to a dark conclusion. "Stop looking at me like that." Sullivan snarls at him with a defiant glare. "Let me go or I'll get the whole Gotham Police Department on your A$$." She lets one tear loose, unwittingly. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself." Hatter sighs, turning towards Sullivan. "A great girl like you, to go on crying in this way." He walks up to her, reaching for a frilly blue hat on the counter. "How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spread his claws," Hatter smiles as he places the hat on her head. Arkham moves to attack but Wayne holds him back, motioning for him to wait. Hatter lies her, now helpless body down on the bed. "And welcome little fishes in with gently smiling jaws." The Mad hatter hears a loud thump when his hat caves in and he looses his consciousness. "Stay away from my girlfriend." Arkham sneers as the Hatter falls limply to the sheets.

Wayne and Arkham get the hat off of Sullivan and start searching for a way out. "What was in that stupid hat?" Sullivan asks groggily. "Could be a drug to keep people from getting away if they're helped out." Arkham checks around the corner before signalling the others to move. "We saw the escape hanger over this way and to the left." Wayne reminds them.

The three turn towards the hanger but when they find it they're stopped by twin flying X's. "And here I thought this would be a freebee." A disappointed voice echoes from the roof and Red X waves from above. "Howdy." He jumps down. "Nice day for a kidnapping." He nods towards Wayne. "Bet you're wishing Batman was here." He taunts him. "Good work Red X. I am in a state of amaze. Now that my head is out of the haze." The Hatter walks in from behind them. "And here I was treated in a manner quite rough, now my hired muscle will show you his stuff. I was planning to sell you for money or gold but because of your lawyers I find your hard to be sold. But with you and sir Wayne I will not suffer a loss, but as for the boy my Red X may toss." "One pancake coming up." X grabs Arkham by the arm and goes to open the door to the ship. "ALEX!" Sullivan calls out, being held back by the Hatter who is in turn attacked by Wayne. Arkham uses the distraction to push X off of him and gain some distance. Hatter uses his cane to attack Wayne but it is knocked from his hand. Arkham grabs the cane and notices a switch which he flips and finds out that it fires a blast from the tip. He uses it to hold back the Hatter. "Both of you get out of here." He tells them and Wayne takes Sullivan's hand and runs off.

Wayne can only find one other pod in the next escape hanger. He straps Sullivan into it. "Send help when you land." He tells her. "What about Alex?" She asks him forcefully. "I'm going back for him." Wayne tells her. "Don't worry." As soon as her shuttle is gone two guards rush in through the doors. "Excuse me gentlemen." Wayne grabs something out of his pocket and puts his hands in the air as if to surrender. "I need to get changed." He opens his hand and a flash engulfs the room.

Red X sends a punch at Arkham who slips and falls backwards, narrowly missing the open door. "Close one." Red X tosses some X's at him but he knocks most of them away, getting a scratch on his left collar bone from the last one. "Sloppy boy." X chuckles. "Now now my dear X. No more kidding around." The Hatter warns him. "For when Batman is hear no one shall be found." "Sorry bra." X brings out the spikes from the X on his glove and pulls back for a strike. "You heard what the little rhyming man said." A rope wraps itself over X's arm and pulls him off of Arkham. "I don't think so." Batman comes out from the darkness. "Batman!" The Hatter pulls a gun from his coat but Arkham is on him before he can fire, pointing the gun towards the ground as it fires and elbowing the Hatter in the face. Hatter lets go of his gun, allowing Arkham to come into possession of it, and stumbles back. "I don't care anymore! This is no going my way!" The Hatter goes into a tantrum. "Kill them both and I will triple your pay!" "Ten times and no less." Red X negotiates. "Give me their heads so I may flaunt and then, my friend, you will have anything you want." "And dead."

X comes at the two like a bullet, going after Batman first. Batman keeps up with him for a moment but is swept off of his feet by a quick jab to the stomach. Arkham goes in to help but is knocked aside and almost tossed out of the open door again. "You have the luck of the devil kid!" The Mad Hatter runs in and tries to strangles him. "But on your surviving only a fool would bid." "Kinda stretching it with that rhyme." Arkham knees Hatter in the junk and spin kicks him into a crate which falls over and traps him underneath.

Batman dodges a kick to the side and manages a punch of his own to X, who falls back long enough for Arkham to grab hold of him, but X regains his balance in time to toss Arkham at Batman instead. Arkham roles to his feet and charges in, dodging to the left when X defends himself, hoping to catch him off guard. It doesn't work and X tosses a flash bomb from under his cape, stopping Arkham blind momentarily. He mean to use this moment to take out Arkham but finds himself deadlocked with Batman, who used Arkham's distraction to his advantage and came in for a strike to the helmet. "New knuckles it the gloves." Batman informs his opponent. "Your armour is made to be sturdy and light weight. One has to suffer for the other. Looks like I guessed right." "Knew I should've avoided the side job." X sighs, a dent in his helmet. "Shoulda stuck with my regular guy, but did I listen? Nooo. I said Xy baby, you need a change of pace. Try kidnapping with that dude in the green top hat he looks legit, and now I'm stuck against Batman and some blondes boyfriend. Gee, it looks like the odds are stacked against me…Is that what you're looking for? One dent in my armour and you think you've got me against the wall?" He clicks a button on his belt and in a shimmer of light he's gone.

Batman looks around the room for a moment before standing perfectly still. "Where'd he go?" "He's using a chameleon circuit. An invisibility device stolen from Wayne enterprises." "I figured it was invisibility." Arkham says, keeping on edge. "I mean, where in the room is he?" "I'm trying to find him." Arkham closes his eyes and listen to the sounds around him. "You know how to focus your senses?" "I'm crazy for martial arts and stuff like that. I studied a bit in Japan and went to China for a bit. If it wasn't for that the Hatter might've blow off my head with that gun he had." "Red X is an expert. He hides his presence well." Batman says, putting a finger to one of his ears and letting red shields drop over the eyes of his cowl. "But there are other methods." "Inferred scanners?" Arkham asks him. "Wayne likes to make sure no one has the ultimate weapon so he mass produces the weakness." "What happened to Bruce anyway?" Arkham asks. "I found him being attacked by some guards in the next hanger. He was going to come get you but I told him to take one of the two remaining pods there." "Oh." Arkham goes back to trying to hear X. "I'm glad he's okay. And Charlotte?" "Gone before I got there. Wayne sent her before he left." "Good."

X rushes out of the shadows like an assassin and goes straight for Arkham who is too late to spin around at stop him, but the Batman isn't. He catches the blade moments before it breaches Arkham's skin. Reacting immediately to the changed situation Arkham kicks X back, using his enemies own weight against him and sending him flying. "Bring it on." Arkham says with a faked confidence which doesn't t all sound convincing. "Arighty." X darts in but Batman comes to help Arkham. He's knocked away by X who goes in to take off Arkham's head with his X blade but Arkham ducks, brining up his hand with the gun in it. "Alex! Don't!" Batman calls out to the boy, afraid he would shoot X. Surprisingly Arkham faces the gun away from X and points his elbow into him. "Boom." Arkham smirks, pulling the trigger. The recoil from the gun pushes Arkham's elbow back and into X's armour, stunning him. "Now, Batman!" Arkham calls out and Batman kicks X out of the door, immediately launching a wire to wrap around Xs arm and prevent him from falling. "Good one!" X calls up. "For that I'll give you guys this one. But watch out Batsy. I'm always around." He cuts batman's wire with his X blade and activates his chameleon circuit, disappearing into the sky. Arkham falls on his butt. "Holly crap." He lands with the back of his head against the ground. "That was freaking awesome! I just totally fought beside the Batman!" "I see you enjoy having your life in danger." Batman says, walking over to tie up loose ends with the Mad Hatter. "Sorry." Arkham sighs in relief. "But I just fought beside the dark knight of Gotham. I am totally geeking out." "I see."

Batman lands the Hatter's ship and takes care of the rest of the Hatter's hired helpers. Arkham is met with a lot of tears and a chockingly tight hug from Sullivan. Batman disappears into the night before anyone could catch him at the scene. Wayne can't help but sigh in relief as he enjoys a cup of decaffeinated coffee by his fireplace with the picture of his parents above it. "You have visitors, sir." Alfred announces as he lets Sullivan and Arkham though the entrance. "Of course Wayne manor isn't the romantic, saved from a maniacal super villain and escape unscratched, date I planned but Alex wanted to come here I'm putting up with it since you two did save my life." "I'm sure you would've managed on your own." Wayne jokes, before seeing Arkham's left arm in a bandage and the bandaid on his collarbone. "It looks like you didn't make it through as unscratched as us." "Yeah." Arkham says. "But I got to see Batman in person!" "I wish I could've done something." Wayne says. "What are you gonna do?" Arkham shrugs. "When the Batman tells you to take the shuttle in the next room you take it. It's not like you're Batman." The way Arkham says it puts Wayne on alert. He sees the way that the man is looking at him, and he remembers that "Batman" told him there was two shuttles in one room. Arkham walks up to him and holds out his hand for a shake. "To prove that I don't have any grudges. Still friends?" Wayne shakes his hand and puts his own hands into his pockets after. "I'm sure you two have a lot to do tonight. After all you need to show her a good time." He points to Sullivan. "Right. See you later."

When Sullivan and Arkham leave Wayne put his hand into his pocket again and pulls out a slip of paper. "What is that, sir?" Alfred asks. "It's a note Alex slipped to me." Wayne opens it. "He must not have wanted Charlotte to see it." He looks at the paper with a smile. "Secret's safe with me." Wayne reads out loud. "Good guy." "Am I to assume you will be inviting young master Alex over for a talk some time in the near future, master Bruce?" "I think we'll give them a day or two and then ask him to come see some of my cool new armour. He's a smart boy. I'm sure he'll get it."

Red X

Ch05

Batcave East is in shambles. Bruce Wayne has spent the afternoon making certain none of his gear would be found. He shouldn't have bothered. There is nothing left of what used to be another of his secret bases. Everything he'd kept there was destroyed in the explosion, everything except for a small throwing star in the shape of a crimson X and a note with the words "Back off" written in red ink.

Batman pays Jeffries a visit the night of the bombing. He snatches Jeffries leg with his Batarang and pulls the man out of his office window, hanging him from the side of the excessively large building. "A sector of Wayne Enterprises was bombed today. The traces of explosives found where linked back to your company…Alongside this." Batman holds the throwing X so the captured businessman can see. "How are you connected?" "I don't know!" Jeffries calls out, tears running down his face. "Please let me down!" "You'll be let down when I get what I came for." Batman loosens his grip on the wire keeping the frightened man from hurtling towards the earth. "My hand is feeling loose." The dark knight eases off on the wire, letting it fall a little before catching it in time to keep the man he's interrogating form free falling. "Who is Red X?" Batman asks again forcefully. "I don't know." The blubbering man squeals. "He's been screwing up my operations for months. I don't know who he is! Why do you think I moved here? I just want him dead." "Then why was Bruce Wayne's company attacked the day after I spoke with you?" "I don't know! I don't know!" "Did you hire him to come after me!?" "I didn't hire anybody! I swear! Ask the D@^^&ed boy!" "Your son? What does he have to do with this?" "He sees everything I do! He'll tell ya!" Batman throws the snivelling man into the window and falls through the air. Jeffries crawls to his phone. "It's me." He says into the mouthpiece. "Get that assassin on the line. I want this little prick out of my life for good."

It's not long before Batman is found patrolling the streets of Gotham but it is not without a goal. It's time to pay a visit to the Iceberg lounge. The bar has become a popular hangout for the scum of Gotham and a wellspring of information for it's local crime fighter. Tonight's question? "Do you know Red X?" Batman has picked up many guys twice his size by the collar of their shirt and made it look impressive but if you could see him bullying the diminutive Oswald Cobblepot it would be almost funny. "I swear." The Penguin coughs as the bat's hand constricts on his deformed neck. "I don't know him. Heard of him though. beat you in the Xenothium raid he pulled and to top it off he takes down one of Harvey's jobs." He chuckles with his strange penguin laugh. "Looking to settle the score?" "I'm looking for answers." "I am not giving them." The Penguin can't help but feel a little sense of victory in not being able to help a long time foe and it shows on his face. Batman lets him drop to the ground and walks away, but not before Penguin can call out one last remark. "Getting beat sucks don't it? I knew you where just like anybody else."

The Penguin is wrong. It's not revenge or redemption for his last defeat that drives the Batman towards his target, it's concern. He sees the potential in his opponent, the power for good he could one day be. He want to reach out to him, like he did to Grayson and Drake, but he also fears repeating the mistakes he made with Todd. He knows that something must have happened to make X like he is and that he's seen it before. he knows how light can come from darkness and how easily a guiding hand can change a life. But first he needs to find and convince him. That is the tricky part.

As the Batman searches throughout the cracked and broken streets of Crime Alley he is also being watched closely. He knows. Dodging over ledges, guided only by the awkward feeling in the back of his neck, the Gotham Guardian tries to outrun his stalker. A shimmer of light reflecting off of cold steel cuts through the air. It is only seconds from his neck before the Batman spins around, snatching the weapon and saving his own life. Smoke bombs explode around him as shadows move through the resulting camouflage. He tosses Batarangs into the cloud but catches nothing as flying stars cut through and retaliate. Utilizing great speed and accuracy, Batman deflects the stars. He knows instantly it is not his intended opponent he is facing. Batman dives forwards, avoiding a kick to the back of the head. "Jeffries send you?" He asks, rolling to a crouched position and tossing a flash bomb out, which blows away the smoke. "Guess that's what you get for attacking helpless businessmen." A woman's voice. The smoke moves with the enemies body, covering her identity as she attacks with a katana. Wayne blocks with his armoured wrist, grabbing her by the shirt and tossing her into the wall behind him.

The assassin looks up at Batman, her face covered in a shroud. The ripped portions of her black clothing revealing combat gear underneath. She slashes upwards as she stands but Batman is too fast to be caught by her blade and he steps back just in time. "I'm getting a lot of money to take you out." She comes at him full force, the blade deadly silent as it swings through the air. It cuts through the shoulder of Wayne's armour like liquid. He bleeds profusely but still musters the strength to throw another flash bomb, this time the assassin is blinded, giving Wayne the chance to regroup.

Batman leans against a wall, moments away from the assassin. "You look terrible." A voice chuckles. "Come to gloat?" Batman asks, looking up at Red X, who is standing over him. "Naw." X waves a hand in the air. "I was just swinging by when I saw you getting your butt handed to you by my old buddy." "You know her?" "We've had a history. She's a nut bag. Kinda wants me dead." "Wonder why. You did kill someone she loved." "So, you already figured out her identity." X claps. "Bravo. Little mis. Turman, or as you probably figured out her real name is Melissa Devons. She wants my A$$ and wants it nice and dead." "Did you really do what she thinks you did." "Hell yeah." X says bluntly. "Remember it like it was yesterday…ish. Let's just say her family wasn't on the straight and narrow like some peoples. Anyway, that's all you'll get out of me. She's my business now. i don't know if you where lazy or if she had dumb luck by she put you out of commission with that arm." "I can fight." "Not her. Not the way you are now." X hops up out into plain view. "She's my mark now."

Wayne gets to his feet and tries to fallow the two as their fight reaches a familiar abandoned theatre. It takes some time for Wayne to get to it, having lost the use of his arm for the moment. He radios Alfred for first aid and continues to fallow the battle inside of the theatre. When he reaches them they are leaping from one side of the ceiling to the next, exchanging explosives, flying blades and everything else you can fit in a utility belt. It's down to sword verses are blades. X swings at his female opponent without mercy but the blades don't penetrate her armour. The same goes for her. "I'm going to kill us both!" She screams out and leaps forwards, ready to strike. Grabbing the sword by the blade X pulls it out of her hands. The blade drops to the ground, getting stuck in the rubble bellow. "I told you what happened." X tells her as he suspends them both from the ceiling with a grappling gun. Devons reaches the knife strapped to her leg and goes to strike X's neck.

In one fluid movement everything fell to pieces. Wayne bursts into a mad rush forwards as Red X's hand loosens itself. The sound of flesh being skewered rings throughout the abandoned building like the sound of a church bell. Wayne looks on silently, having seconds after stopped his pursuit. Red X lowers himself from the ceiling and walks towards Wayne. "Aren't  you going to say anything?" Wayne asks, without a single movement. "Nothing to say." X moves past him only stopping at the door. He chuckles for a moment. "Well, she does make a pretty cute shish kebab." X closes the door leaving Wayne alone, starring at the dead body of Melissa Devons, who fell two stories onto the blade of her own sword which still is stuck upright in between the rubble. She lays completely motionless, lifeless, like a statue. A dedication to one woman's obsession, one man's victory in battle and another's failure to stop him. A beautiful corpse. If Wayne had stayed to look, he would see a blood stained smile, but not know why.