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

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?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"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.

"See, that'd actually be the worst for me," Peter points out helpfully. "I do way worse without tall buildings to swing from." He knows. He's tried, okay, it sucks having to travel across flat ground.

"Is he stuck in Jeopardy then?" Peter asks, curious. "Is that spider cult thing real? I keep seeing stuff about it."

"And I do better with space to run. Especially since I haven't been able to corner as well since my knee got rebuilt," Bart said, smiling slightly. "Although tall buildings are great for building up speed, as long as you don't get anywhere near escape velocity."

As for Jeopardy, he really prefers not to think about too much.

"That's where he got housed, like I ended up in Maurtia Falls. But since travel isn't really an issue for either or us, it's no big deal. I've seen stuff that says it's real, but I really don't like cults. Had to deal with some of what they were worshiping from time to time. So until I have a reason to, I don't want to play detective with that."

Uh. "Is getting near escape velocity a concern for you?" That's probably a dumb question, but. He's impressed? He's really impressed.

"I just feel like it's kind of my responsibility," he points out, not at all arguing with Bart. Honestly, it's outside of both their wheelhouses. "With the spider theme and all."

"Not when I'm in control," Bart said. "I've gone that speed and faster, though, it's the angular or vertical acceleration that makes that more dangerous."

He shook his head, not really wanting to think about the exact speeds. "The problem is also that the more I draw on the Speed Force, the more likely it becomes to get drawn into it. And that's got a lot of consequences. It's how Max ended up in this century when he grew up during the westward expansion. He'd skipped across time like a stone across water."

Bart looks sad just thinking about Max, and how he'd never really been able to tell him how much he meant. Which was why he totally changed the subject.

"Well, I can sorta see wanting to know more because the Web-Mistress might have some impact. But it could also have some relationship to the three Fates. I've been reading up on the history of this Earth when I have time."

Yikes. That's - um. He sort of wants to crack a Back to the Future joke, but mostly he's low key horrified. "I'm glad that doesn't happen when I use my spider powers," he says. "That's kind of awful. I'd be terrified."

Like, a lot terrified. He's not sure what would even happen? Could he be flung across space somehow? Universes? ... Nah, that's too crazy.

"I guess the Fates makes more sense," he says after a moment. "But I still wanna find out."

"It's not that bad, most of the time. But sometimes it's a balancing act of using the power before it tries to be used. I think the nanites seem to be interfering somehow with that, though. Since the last time I was the only speedster around, it was a lot harder," he admitted. Of course, he'd also internalized the Speed Force at the time, and that had been a volatile state.

"Don't worry about me. I've been living with this my whole life. If it means a few obstacles, that's my cross to bear. I wouldn't give any of it up."

He considers, then nods. "Well, just keep me in the loop if you need anything. With that investigation."

"How are they interfering?" Peter asks, curious and a little concerned. "I hope they're holding you back in a good way." Since, uh. He's not even sure what would happen if someone time travelled here. He can't help but worry about it, okay! It was literally a thing back home.

"I still don't wanna find out you ended up in 1885 or something because you ran around the world backwards or something," he says. "That's something crazy to even have to worry about."

"Just keeping the power from hitting too high or surging badly. I haven't really had any issues. But then, I haven't really gone all-out, either," Bart said.

"I mean, it's like, do you know how much you can actually lift before you start pulling muscles or something? There's testing powers, and there's being stupid and getting hurt because you didn't think it through. I've done the second way too often in the past to try that again. Besides, if the Speed Force really wanted more influence, it'd just have to strike someone else."

All right, that does make some kind of sense. Even Spider-Man can eventually hurt himself by lifting too much.

"I guess so," he says. "But I don't go back in time just because I webbed something too hard."

"Forward, actually," Bart corrects, then shrugs. "I had to use an unlicensed time-portal to get back here. But since I've pretty much been on the President of Earth's shit-list since before I was even born, it's no big."

He grins, though. "I should give you the formula for my suit material sometime. It's not great for strength or anything, but being able to compress stuff like that and be a consistent membrane at the thinness I need to stay inside my aura might lend itself somewhere."

"Forward in time then." Same concept, different application. He'd be in bigger trouble if he skipped forward in time randomly. And as for getting on the President;s shit-list well - his eyes widen, but he figures that's the same issue. Time travel. Always time travel.

"That would be awesome," he says. "I might be able to replicate it? I mean, I'd try." He's a chemistry genius, after all.

"I made the first Kid Flash suit from stuff I got out of a drug store," Bart said, grinning. "If you can't replicate it, there's something wrong."

Then he paused. "So how have you been? Any trouble in paradise?"

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

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