Train-surfing, or Bored Teen Hero at Play [Open]

[kid_flash_found]

WHO: Kid Flash (Bart Allen) and YOU!!!
WHERE: Anywhere there's a railroad
WHEN: First Week of October
WHAT: Riding the open rails the wrong way!
WARNINGS: Teenage stupidity, possibly reckless endangerment, will edit if needed

[ooc: Catch Bart anywhere high-speed or light rail is found, because he gets around]


One of the nice things Bart had found out about the way the nanites interacted with the 'net on this Earth was that when he didn't feel like running between places or trusting his luck to the Porters, he could pull up bus and train schedules at a thought, and read as quickly as he wants. Which is what leads to Kid Flash going train-surfing.

Sure, he could have gotten a ticket and rode inside, but on top of the train, he could feel the wind in his face in a way that tended to fade when he ran as his frictionless aura shielded him from pesky things like air resistance and heat. Besides, balancing on trains was fun, and getting on and off took a little timing and precision. Not to mention any fans that caught him on video will enjoy the thrill of it, without actually endangering anyone or spending every free moment catching purse-snatchers and other petty criminals. He does that, too, but this is just about the joy of the moment.

Kid Flash can't help the tight-lipped smile that keeps threatening to turn into a full-fledged grin as he shifts his weight in reaction to the movement of the car beneath him, a map of the rails with current track schedules and timings kept current on an internalized heads-up-display. And when he notices that he isn't alone anymore, that grin is realized, amber eyes lighting up behind the mask.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

Comments

[notafraidofyou]

Tim probably shouldn't be surprised to see someone else riding on top of the train, considering how many people with powers are here and willing to show them off, but he's not really used to sharing the roofs of the vehicles he's riding on. He's a little more surprised when he realizes just who he's sharing this roof with. Wouldn't he be faster on his feet?

Or maybe he's just enjoying the ride. It is cool.

"Yeah! It's pretty great!"

[kid_flash_found]

It might have been a little surprising to see the almost-familiar Robin costume on a much less familiar person, but it made sense. He'd first heard about the hobby from his Robin, after all.

"You learn from Nightwing, or start train-surfing on your own?"

He was trying to not let how he might feel about his Tim not being here and the doppelganger who was, but it was still difficult to think about how to act, or what he should or shouldn't be candid about.

And he hadn't really put the best foot forward before.

[notafraidofyou]

The question surprises a quick grin out of Tim. "Nightwing," he admits. "Apparently, this is 'bonding' or something. Before I met him, most of the rides I hitched were on things traveling at more reasonable speeds."

He pauses.

"You do reasonable speeds like this often, or...?"

[kid_flash_found]

"If I don't have anywhere to be in a hurry, it's nice to take things slow. You'd be surprised how lonely it can be living that fast," Bart said, shaking his head slightly.

"That totally sounds like the guy I kinda knew back home. He's always been the one that manages to seem almost normal and well-adjusted. I envy that about him. The ways he manages to keep his feet..." It's hard not to have a little bit of hero-worship where the First Robin is concerned. He's the one who made everything Bart and his generation have done even remotely possible. That Dick had been with Kon when Bart failed to get there didn't hurt, either, for all that he tried not to make that about him.

"I don't think there's ever been a Robin who didn't love trainsurfing. I learned about it from one. Granted, it's a little easier when you can match speeds instead of having to use the grapple-lines, but I could do that, too." Except he didn't have the ability to carry that much in the way of tools with him when he ran.

[notafraidofyou]

Tim snorts quietly, even though he's pretty sure it won't be heard over the noise from the train. "Someone in this life who's normal and well-adjusted? I mean... come on. We wear kevlar-nomex pajamas with our underwear on the outside of our tights and go beat up bad guys every night. I think normal is a long sight off." He grins a little. He's joking... mostly. And he'd actually kind of figured Flash had the corner on 'normal and well-adjusted,' since he's literally the most chill member of the League, but maybe it's different in other universes.

"There've only been two of us where I'm from, so it's kind of a small sample size, and since the original model taught me how... I guess you're right." He glances sidelong at Bart. "Have you met the other ones?"

[kid_flash_found]

"If anyone could pull it off..." Bart points out, but lets that line drop. "And I wish I could wear something a little more protective sometimes. I hate the blisters I get catching bullets if there's enough of them in the air."

But there's only so much aura to go around, and he'd rather be frictionless than armored, most of the time.

"I mostly knew 3, your counterpart as far as names go. I knew the girl who took over for him for a short time when she was Spoiler and I hear she's Batgirl now. But the second was already dead when I showed up, and his return mostly affected Gotham and not the wider world. And B prefers it when we don't get involved in his family issues. I feel blessed to have met the Bat-Butler." And the last is with a wink to show he knows Alfred is way more than that.

[notafraidofyou]

Huh. Tim is getting more information from Bart than he had from their 'family meeting.' For someone who's 'not involved in family issues,' he's pretty well informed. And not just anyone gets to meet Alfred.

He shakes his head a little. "There are a lot more of all of you than there are where I'm from. Only two Robins, no one my age, and only a handful of second gen heroes at all. Nothing like the teams you're talking about."

[callmesuperboy]

Conner is flying high, and he can almost sense when Bart starts running. It is a thing, really, to feel his best friend moving at a speed that few others can know or match.

And so he flips up his phone and sends a text, grinning as he glances down.

Having fun, buddy? Looks like your train is a nice one.

[kid_flash_found]

Sometimes it's nice to be able to feel the wind in your face.

He replies with a thought, head immediately tilting back to try to scan the sky. It's not easy to spot a flying Superboy, however. There's just a lot of sky to scan.

[callmesuperboy]

Superboy sees him looking and drops toward him, letting himself hit freefall, grinning the whole way.

Some thirty feet up, his telekinesis kicks in and slows him, and he chuckles. At ten feet, he stops, and hovers over his friend, grinning.

"Hey, you. Enjoying the surfing?"

[kid_flash_found]

"Well, this way I don't have to get wet," he points out, grinning up at Kon. "You tell me, brah."

Of course he's enjoying the surfing. It's not the challenge it might be in a larger city with all the different levels and bridges and the like, and it's no challenge to get the track schedules.

"Just felt like doing something relatively slow. And yet still a rush."

[callmesuperboy]

He shakes his head as he smiles as Bart, slowly sinking to be at his friend's level.

"As long as you're here, its always a good day, Brah." He let his mouth roll the r in the word just because and laughed.

"Nothing wrong with that. I made myself put together a 3-D puzzle the other day. It was a challenge, but fun."

[kid_flash_found]

"With the telekinesis or without?" Bart had to ask, even as he shifts to give his friend room on the roof of the train. "I still remember Max threatening me with slow-drying cement for the model kits."

[made_up_names]

Trainsurfing is a time-honored superhero tradition, okay. Peter had done it all the time back home - easiest way to get around in New York if he didn't feel like swinging - so hopping on a train here? Completely normal. At least for Spider-Man it's normal.

So here he is in full costume, casually swinging out onto a train with a small backpack in hand. It's lunchtime, so he's gonna take a break and eat on top of this train and ... oh. He's not alone, is he? "Hey man," he says with a cheerful wave. "We had the same idea, huh?"

[kid_flash_found]

His own crouch is comfortable, but he still has to maintain a good grip so he doesn't go flying off at bumps or turns. It makes him sometimes wonder at the people who do this without any superhuman advantages.

"Hey, Spidey," Bart said, moving to join him. "Well, it is one of the better ways to travel. Sometimes you want to enjoy the scenery."

And it was just plain fun.

[made_up_names]

Well, Peter can help with that if Bart wants. He's already casually sticking his backpack to the train so that it doesn't go flying off into the sunset. It might have happened once or twice already back home.

"Totally agree," he says with a grin in his voice. "I love swinging around New York, but even I get tired sometimes."

[kid_flash_found]

He doesn't really need to be stuck to the train, since he's got plenty of experience riding. And there are plenty of places for a convenient handhold, not to mention it's hardly a problem to get his stride if he does actually get thrown, although that hasn't happened very often. Speedsters have to consider a lot of elements of physics a survival skill, and Newton's laws of conservation of motion are definitely up there.

"At least there's plenty of time before the next overpass. City trains are definitely harder. Planning for every tunnel or bridge on the route is fun, but in the middle of a fight? Ugh."

He's almost glad Keystone is totally a motor city, like Detroit. And San Francisco has a fair bit of spread and earthquakes are always a building consideration.

"How you been?"

[made_up_names]

Well, still, Peter is here for you. If necessary. "I haven't fought anyone on top of a train yet," he says. "But it's coming probably." He can already sympathize with dodging overpasses and suchlike; he's tried to do homework on top of one, with ... uh. Negative results!

Anyway. "I'm actually doing pretty well," he says. "Moving into a mansion with my boyfriend sure helps a lot. And Mysterio hasn't bothered me."

[kid_flash_found]

"Well, the kinds of fights we get into, I'm not sure there's any scenario I'd really recommend. Maybe out in a place like the salt flats in Utah and Nevada where there really isn't all that much to worry about beyond the local wildlife," Bart said, actually thinking about it.

"And, yeah, I'm sure it's got to be great with all those rooms to decide what to do with. Superboy and I have been talking about getting a place, probably in Heropa. He's definitely not a fan of creepytown and being surrounded by all that sand and no ocean." It would just be nice, Titans together and all.

[usaf]

Carol tends not to use the Porters. Why would she, when she can fly wherever she needs to go? Some days, she zooms through the stratosphere, making a high arc as she zips from city to city. Other days, she takes the low road to enjoy the passing scenery. It's on one of those days that she decides to follow a train, surprised when she sees a spot of bright red hair sitting atop the train.

She flies over, keeping pace like a quick little lightbulb.

"The conductor know you're up here?"

[kid_flash_found]

"Yeah, didn't want to upset anyone by hitching a ride without the right clearance," Bart said, shaking his head slightly. "Besides, it's the scenic route."

He's clearly used to hanging onto the top of the train, his balance shifting effortlessly as he repositions to have a better view of a certain phosphorescent hero. "How about you? Decided to give the normals a light show?"

[usaf]

Carol shrugs, flying over to land atop the train, the light fading as she does so.

"Just headed up North. Didn't really think about anyone else watchingone way or the other."

[kid_flash_found]

Bart considers that, with how different his life is from those who live in worlds like Peter's, let alone worlds without costumed heroes.

"It's like why the Air Force does shows. People want to see us, but actually being there when the real work is being done would be too dangerous. I grew up knowing that we all had to do publicity stuff and be a little more visible than most of us might like to maintain the image people had of us being there to help," he said, knowing he didn't like it, but putting on a good face was just another mask. They weren't really interested in him as a person the way they might be if he weren't considered special because of what he could do.

"I can't say I like the balancing act, but I still enjoy seeing the folks my age and younger just light up at a handshake and a greeting. Or for the flyers, pacing a commercial jet for a minute or two and giving everyone a wave. It's as important to be around when the shit isn't hitting the fan and all."

At the very least, it cut down on having random shit thrown at you.

[usaf]

Carol had flown in enough of those Air Force shows to know exactly what Bart was talking about.

"I guess it's just not something I'm used to. When I was living on Hala, everyone knew who Starforce was. We were respected, but we weren't idolized. We weren't celebrities. It's different, here."

Different enough that it'll take some getting used to.

[kid_flash_found]

"It's not always a good thing, when you're individually a celebrity. Because if opinion turns, you've got to answer for it. Personally. Cops and soldiers and such at least have the organization to stand with them," Bart admits. He worries about that.

"There was this thing back home with a guy who had gotten total control over our greatest hero, and the only way to free him meant killing that guy. And the footage of Wonder Woman killing Maxwell Lord got leaked. And it hit me any my friends because Wonder Girl, her protege, was one of us."