A Thin Line

Three months have passed since Jordan explored Raven's mind and found out who she really was. After this fascinating adventure, the two friends have grown closer. Now, there is no mystical adventure today. Just a simple heist by Slade and his goons. One of his goons walks up to a container holding a red chip. He tries to grab it, but Jordan repels from the ceiling.

"If Slade wants this chip, he will need to get it himself," said Jordan.

Jordan punches the goon and sends him flying a few feet back. After the surprise punch, the lights come on and reveal the rest of the Titans. Before the Titans can pounce on the goon, a laser appears in the ceiling and cuts a hole in it. A few more of Slade's goons fall into the room. The goons try to hit Jordan with the laser, but he just flips backward to dodge it. One of the goons charges at Jordan and tries to punch him, but Jordan jumps into the air and kicks his head off.

"Those guys aren't humans. They're bots, so we can destroy them. Titans, go crazy," said Jordan.

"Heard," said the other Titans.

One of the goons charges at Starfire, but she easily defeats him with a Starbolt. Another goon uses a laser blaster to cut off part of the roof, but Jordan saves Starfire before she is crushed. The other goons try to blast them, but Cyborg throws a large computer at them, smashing them. Another goon charges at Raven, but Beast Boy turns into a ram and rams him into the wall.

"You owe me big time. You owe me big time," said Beast Boy.

While Beast Boy is gloating, a goon tries to surprise attack him, but that goon is destroyed by Raven's magic.

"What about we call it even?' asked Beast Boy.

"Sure," said Raven sarcastically.

Only goon is left and it decides that it has to complete its mission. It dodges the blasts from Cyborg and Starfire's Starbolts and grabs the chip. It runs out of the room to escape from the young heroes.

"You're not getting away," said Jordan.

Jordan pulls out a Claw and throws it at the goon's hand and knocks the chip out of it. Beast Boy transforms into an anteater and grabs the chip with his long tongue.

"I got it," said Beast Boy.

The goon jumps on Beast Boy's head and smashes his foot on it. He grabs the chip and uses a smoke bomb to try and disappear.

"I don't got it," said Beast Boy.

"We can't let them escape. Titans, go!" said Jordan.

The Titans run through the exit and run for a minute until they reach a room with multiple pathways.

"He could be anywhere," said Cyborg.

"Split up," said Jordan.

All of the Titans run down a different pathway except for Jordan. He notices some noise from a vent on the floor and looks at it. He sees nothing, but a large water pipe. He uses his strength to pull off the vent and falls into the water pipe. He sees the goon in the pipe and runs after it. The goon fires his laser blaster at Jordan, but he easily jumps over the blast to dodge it. Jordan tries to throw another claw, but the goon destroys it with his laser blaster. The goon sees another pipe and runs down it. He uses an explosive to block his path. Jordan sees that the path is now blocked and runs out of the pipe at top speed. He then grapples around the cliff like he's Tarzan and tackles the goon midair once he exits the facility. They tussle in the air for a minute until they crash land into the shallow lake. The goon tries to escape, but Jordan rips off its legs and drags it to the solid ground.

"Now, where is your boss?" asked Jordan.

The goon doesn't respond and stares at the hero.

"If you're not going to tell me. I'll just rip it out of your system," said Jordan.

Jordan pulls the mask off of the goon and sees a small screen inside with Deathstroke on it.

"Excellent work, Jordan," said Slade.

"What do you want with these chips?" asked Jordan.

"I have my ways, Jordan and you do too. I think that your skills are improving," said Slade.

"I don't care about your compliments. What do you want with this chip?" said Jordan.

"But, you lack patience. If you're so curious about what I'm planning, maybe we should meet face to face," said Slade.

"Tell me where you're hiding and I'll be there in minutes," said Jordan.

"Patience, Jordan. Patience," said Slade.

The screen turns off and Slade stops talking.

"I don't need you to talk. I'll just use your bot's parts to hunt you down," said Jordan.

Seconds after he mutters these words, the bot explodes and the parts turn to ashes in front of Jordan.

"Me and my big mouth," said Jordan.

Two hours pass. Four of the five Titans now sit in the living room doing nothing in particular.

"Dull nights make me a dull Beast Boy and you don't want me to be a dull Beast Boy, so what are we watching? Super Ninja Showdown 8 or Maniac Fury: Attack of the Protozoids?" asked Beast Boy.

"Gee. They sound so good," said Raven sarcastically.

"You're right. They both sound good. Wanna watch them both?" said Cyborg.

"Maybe Jordan would want to do the movie watching with us. Where is he?" said Starfire.

"In his room working and brooding like he always does," said Beast Boy.

"I will go ask if he wants to join us," said Starfire.

"It would be a waste of time. If he is working, he's working. He will not want to watch a dumb movie with us. Trust me," said Raven.

"I will still try," said Starfire.

"I guess that you will just figure it out face to face," said Raven.

Starfire quickly exits the living room and heads to Jordan's room. She reaches the door and knocks on it, but the door doesn't open.

"Strange. He never locks his door," said Starfire.

"What do you want, Star?" asked Jordan.

"Do you want to-," said Starfire.

"No," said Jordan.

"But-," said Starfire.

"Usually I would love to, but I need to analyze this Slade Bot and discover where he schemes at. When I'm done, I'll join you guys later, ok," said Jordan.

"Maybe if you took a break, the analysis would go quicker," said Starfire.

"That's not how detective work goes. He's planning something and I need to stop him," said Jordan.

"See you later then," said Starfire.

Jordan doesn't respond and Starfire just hovers away. Jordan stands up and grabs a red helmet that's on his desk.

"If I can't get to him as a hero, I guess that the Red Hood will be able to help," said Jordan.

Forty-five minutes pass. Two guards now guard the red chip. Everything seems silent until the alarm sounds.

"Not again. Why can't we have a normal night?" said a guard.

"There's no time to complain. We gotta check that disturbance out," said the other guard.

The two guards move away from the chip and exit the room. They look around the room with the different pathways but find no one.

"I don't like this," said the guard.

The guard's instinct is right as the door behind them closes. In the other room, the Red Hood exits the vent and walks over to the chip.

"This was way too easy," said Jordan.

Before Jordan can grab it, the security guards blast the door down.

"Not him," said the guard.

"First Doctor Light and now Red Hood. Who's next? The devil," said the other guard.

"Don't even think about grabbing that chip," said the guard.

"What are you going to do to stop me?" asked Jordan.

"Quit the chat and let's shoot him," said the guard.

The guards try to shoot the thief, but he grabs the chip and dodges their blasts. He then jumps in the air and kicks both of the guards in the face and runs towards the vent. He enters it and quickly escapes the facility.

"I guess that we have lost another gig," said the guard.

"Dammit," said the other guard.

A few minutes pass. Jordan jumps across a rooftop on his way back to Titans Tower, but he hears something move. He turns around and sees the Titans standing behind him.

"You're the Red Hood? I thought that you would have a better outfit," said Cyborg.

"The outfit isn't the thing that matters. It's the chip," said Jordan.

"Do you work for Slade?" asked Cyborg.

"Red Hood works for no one," said Jordan.

Jordan pulls out a shuriken and throws it at Cyborg, but he just blasts it away. Cyborg tries to blast him, but Jordan pulls out two laser blasters and shoots them at the metal man. Beast Boy transforms into a lion and tries to pounce on Jordan, but the thief throws a putty bomb at him and taps him in the goo. Beast Boy tries to transform to escape, but he is stuck. Raven and Starfire charge at Jordan, but he combines his pistol in a giant blaster and blasts both of them away. Cyborg tries to jump on him, but he easily jumps out of the way. He then places a gadget on his back and starts to hack his systems.

"Who told you how to shut me down?" asked Cyborg.

"You're just way too easy. You guys are supposed to protect this town, but you guys suck. See you later losers," said Jordan.

Jordan jumps off the roof and grapples away.

"Did we just get our butts kicked?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yeah. Everyone except for Jordan," said Cyborg.

"He's investigating. He's depending on us to carry our weight. We will just stop Red Hood when he strikes next," said Raven.

"But, will we be able to beat him if there is a next time? He easily defeated us in minutes," said Starfire.

"Next time we will be ready," said Cyborg.

Twenty minutes pass. Jordan reaches his room and signs into his computer. He taps into the frequency of Slade's hideout and tries to contact him. Slade, fortunately, picks up.

"You must be the infamous Red Hood that I have been hearing on the news. Why are you contacting me?" said Slade.

"I heard that you were interested in these. The Titans stopped your goons, but they couldn't stop me," said Jordan.

"So, are you proposing a sale or gift?" asked Slade.

"A partnership. I give you the chip and you provide me with things that I need," said Jordan.

"You are ambitious, but an alliance can not be formed off of one chip. If you want to be my ally, I will need some more things. I need two more chips," said Slade.

"Fine. I'll get you what you want," said Jordan.

"Good. I hope that you won't fail me," said Slade.

"I won't," said Jordan.

The screen turns black as Slade disconnects the call. Jordan takes off the helmet and places it on the table.

"I should have known that this won't be a one-time thing. I guess I should check in on the team and get rid of suspicion," said Jordan.

Jordan takes off the Red Hood suit and places it into a high-tech container. He exits his room and walks towards the living room. He enters the living room and sees the Titans beaten and tired.

"What happened?" asked Jordan.

"What happened? Is that all you have to say? We got destroyed by that Red Hood guy. You could have come to help, but you cared more about dealing with Slade than helping your teammates. Thanks a lot," said Beast Boy.

"I didn't know that he was this skilled to take you all down. My bad," said Jordan.

"Even if you were there, it wouldn't have changed anything. We still would have gotten beaten," said Raven.

"He knew how to beat us all. He probably was preparing to take us down. He would have destroyed you too," said Cyborg.

"You should not feel guilt. We are not dead or hurt," said Starfire.

"Except for my hair," said Beast Boy.

"What did you find on Slade?" asked Cyborg.

"Nothing. Just another dead end. He's playing me and I can't stop him from doing that," said Jordan.

"You will find a breakthrough. I just know it," said Starfire.

"Maybe, but not right now. I will need to keep on investigating. I will update you guys on what I find," said Jordan.

Jordan walks away as his friends watch him.

"What is that guy up to?" asked Cyborg.

"I don't know, but it's probably good. He's on our side after all," said Beast Boy.

The next day slowly passes. After receiving a message from their leader, the Titans arrive at a location on the south side of town. A few seconds pass before they see their leader and the Red Hood running away from him. The Red Hood is tired of Jordan's interference and throws a net over him.

"Dark Phoenix!" exclaimed Cyborg.

"I'm fine. Get that guy," said Jordan.

The Titans follow the thief into the subway. Once they enter it, they can't find him. It's like he has become invisible.

"Where did he go?" asked Beast Boy.

"Has he cloaked himself?" asked Starfire.

"Maybe, but my sensors should be able to see him even if he is," said Cyborg.

Cyborg starts to look around for the thief, but he is met with a punch to the face that sends him flying backward. He then runs behind the cyborg and punches the back of his armor, breaking it. He hacks his systems and shuts him down once again.

"Not again," said Cyborg.

"He got him again. Let's take him," said Beast Boy.

Beast Boy charges at the Red Hood and transforms into a bear, but Jordan easily kicks him onto the train track. Once he lands on the train track, a train arrives to send him to HEaven, but the thief saves him at the last second.

"Thank you," said Beast Boy,

You shouldn't thank me," said Jordan.

Jordan kicks him in the face and escapes from the subway.

"Who is that guy?" asked Beast Boy.

Ten minutes pass. Jordan now sits in front of his computer on a call with Slade.

"You did well. I tapped into the security cameras and saw what you did. You gave the Titans a good show," said Slade.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I'll get the next chip to you by tomorrow night," said Jordan.

"You don't have to rush to impress me, but I like fast deliveries," said Slade.

"Don't worry. I'm never late," said Jordan.

Jordan disconnects the call and leans back in his chair.

"Jordan, you are too good," said Jordan.

Twenty hours pass. Jordan walks into the room that contains the last chip. Before he can grab it, Slade enters the room.

"Excellent work. I couldn't have done a better job," said Slade.

"I was wishing to deliver it to you personally, but this will do," said Jordan.

"We both are very good at our jobs. It's only natural that we become partners," said Slade.

"Yeah, but how can I trust you if you didn't come in person. My helmet has a heat signature tracker. Metal doesn't have a heat signature," said Jordan.

"So, are you going to hand over the chips?" asked Slade.

Jordan crushes the three colored chips with his right hand.

"Red Hood works alone," said Jordan.

"I guess our partnership is null and void," said Slade.

Jordan and Slade charge at each other. Slade tries to punch the young thief, but Jordan jumps over his fist. Jordan tries to kick the mercenary, but he is forced to flip away to block another. Jordan tries to punch Slade, but he easily dodges the attack. Jordan jumps onto the air and tries to kick Slade, but Slade dodges once again and kicks him in the stomach, sending him sliding back a few feet. Jordan runs towards Slade and tries to kick and punch him, but Slade still easily dodges his attacks. Jordan tries to kick him again, but Slade just kicks him away. Jordan continuously tries to touch the mercenary, but he continues to dodge while the mercenary lands a few hits. After a minute of practically nothing happening, Slade kicks Jordan into a wall. He then runs towards Jordan, but the hero pulls out an explosive and throws it at Slade's mask. It explodes on contact and blows up the mercenary as well.

"There was a bomb in there? I should have seen it coming. Slade, I know that you're hearing this. You lose," said Jordan.

"On the contrary my thieving friend, I have accomplished what I wanted to do. The test is complete. I'm ready to take him in as my successor," said Slade.