The Wicked One

Chapter Nine | Gateway, Part Two

"Damnit!" the thief swore, hitting a large chunk of rubble with his fist. He then thought for a moment as he nursed the new injury. "Could I perhaps-?"

"You cannot blow down the walls."

"Damnit!" Red-X cursed again before falling back against the ground with a defeated sigh.

The room was quiet for a time. Both villains accepted that all they could do was wait for their comrades to try and find a way to finish the mission. After awhile, Red-X let out a second heaving sigh. He held out a hand in the air above his face, staring at the red x shape on his gloved palm.

"I almost wish the Titans were here," he commented, with no immediate reply from Blackfire. "They always manage to find some do-goody way to clean up someone's mess, and I could just take what I wanted and slip away while they do it."

"You really have a one track mind, don't you?" Blackfire's voice asked, disappointment clearly evident in it.

Red-X chuckled. "Stealing is what makes the world go round. Well, my world anyways."

"Idiot."

"And what makes your world go round, Ms. Ex-Tamaranian-Princess?" Red-X asked, looking over at the floating orb. "Power? Money?...Men?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business." Blackfire shot, the robot turning pointedly away from him.

"Ooooh. Touchy tonight I see. Well, how else do you plan to kill time? Sitting all quiet like in that cell of yours?"

"That's what I was trying to do until your annoying prattling interrupted me!"

"Oh, right, of course, how utterly rude of me."

"...You'd better hope you don't live long enough to see me escape from here."

"Oh? What are you going to do, chide me to death?"

"...Do you even know what my kind is capable of?"

"Well, if it's anything like what your sister is capable of, then I can't say I'd be all that impressed."

"Hah! Do not even attempt to compare me to that little nobody. My sister is nothing but dirt underneath my boots."

"Uh huh. And is that why she's in a warm home surrounded by friends while you're rotting away in a cell?"

"She only grows weak with such comforts while I continue to grow stronger! How dare you even suggest-!"

"Yeah, yeah, evil villain speech. Very frightening and all that."

"...I hate you."

"That's nice, honey. So, I've been wondering something, why Wykkyd?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I know what happened down there. I know him. The Brotherhood of Whatever, and most of the villains worthy of note, were frozen down there, but why did you unfreeze him out of all the others? I will admit his cape thing is useful, but he's just a kid with a lot less experience with the kinds of things you're trying to have us pull off than most of the others that were also frozen."

"Well, not that it's still any of your business," Blackfire answered, the red lens reflecting Red-X fully in its scope, "but Kyd Wykkyd is more than just a boy with a fancy cape."