Is It Like This Every Day? [Brainy, Katie, Robin]

[Superboy]

Conner Kent would have been the first person to tell you that rocketing through the air at a million miles per second wasn't the safest thing to do. He had just a day ago experienced the sensation, and wasn't exactly keen to try it again. Even so, as he now drifted along at what felt like a flying snail's pace, it was tempting to try and give himself just a fraction of the speed he had accidentally shown yesterday, just for a little boost...

But he wouldn't. Putting aside the danger that he could literally exit the stratosphere if he wasn't careful, landing would become extremely dangerous when they finally reached their destination. Not for him, but for their destination. Not to mention his new teacher was still flying along with him, and somehow Conner doubted Brainiac 5 would appreciate a little detour half-way around the world if he overshot.

Speaking of His New Friend The Coluan, Brainy still looked as awake as he had last night before they set off. There was no reason for him not to, he guessed. Conner, on the other hand, was starting to feel the strains of working for a full day (to include a sparring match and deforestation) followed by a full night of flying. Clenching his fists and blinking his eyes in a determined sort of way, it was clear that he wasn't planning on falling asleep any time soon - he had enough of his genetic father's superhuman stamina to assure him that. But he was starting to get hungry, and his body felt stiff from being fixed in the same position for hours. He hadn't complained once during their trip though, and wasn't going to start now. This might have just been a simple flight from Smallville to Jump City, but to Conner it was yet another test. And he would pass it.

Yesterday when he had been given his new flight ring, the golden band that now glinted in the morning sunlight before him and tugged him along in his flight, he had thought that he would never get bored of flying. He had officially been proven wrong. Up here above the clouds, there was nothing to look at, no way to pass the time, and once you'd seen one cloud, you'd seen them all. He was hungry, yes. He was uncomfortable, but most of all he was bored.

He glanced forward again at Brainy, who was leading the way, and wondered if he ever got bored. He still didn't know exactly how the alien kid functioned. There was no easy way to approach that topic, at least not one that his mind had come up with during his time up here in the sky.

Deciding that he would deal with that issue some other time, the clone shook his head and tried to focus... but there was nothing to focus on. Restraining a sigh, he instead imagined his flight ring tugging a little harder at his arm, and, responding to his imagination, he swept forward a little faster until he came up directly beside Brainy.

"Are we almost there?" He asked, telling himself that that was not a complaint - it was just a question. A very reasonable question. Still, he felt the need to add something to his query just so that his friend knew he wasn't letting up, "Because, you know, I could do this forever. Except I think I may be forgetting how to walk..."

[Brainiac 5]

It had been an uneventful night of flying, for which Brainiac 5 was grateful. For one, he had no desire to get caught up in a midair tussle, especially while carting around a Kryptonian that had yet to master the art of flying, and he didn’t fancy dodging airplanes, either. No, in the peacefulness that he was used to, the quiet that always radiated through the headquarters when all but him (except for the times that Wildfire was on base, in which case he enjoyed a somewhat stimulating conversation) were asleep, tucked into their beds like the organic beings they were, he was thinking. Running over plans to train Conner, working on finding a place for him to stay (while the only thing he needed was a lab, his new friend needed much more), how exactly to introduce him to the Teen Titans and what information he could reasonably pass along…

To the Coluan, it was second nature to be thinking so much, and he went through his mind, rejecting some proposals, filing away others to be compared when he had finished thinking of all the reasonable possibilities. A computer technician of this time would be absolutely baffled at the amount of data he was processing. It was then that his internal map informed him that they were approaching Jump City. Ah, good. The thought of informing Conner hadn’t even occurred to him, to be honest, so it was probably best that the other flew forward to inquire.

“Yes, we will be arriving shortly,” Brainy told him, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly at the other’s words, though he did not address them. And when they got there… As he did not have any place where the other could feasibly sleep at the moment, despite the fact that he had long gone without it, perhaps they should stop to eat? He did not need to, of course, but it would give the other a bit more energy… Yes, they would. “We will stop to eat when we land.” It was not an order, not a question or a request, but a simple statement of absolute fact. They were stopping for breakfast.

It was then that he led the other downwards slightly, and the city broke into view. It… was a nice view, the robot had to admit, but it was nothing compared to New Metropolis and the Legion Headquarters, especially with the giant ‘T’ overlooking it all. Their headquarters at least looked like a building, not a letter. He paused for a moment, to let Conner admire the city if he so wished, before motioning for the other to follow him, flitting downwards toward the area by the ‘Slice of Life’ he had visited two days ago with Beast Boy and Robin. It was easy enough to remember, especially with the fact that it looked like a giant pizza from above.

Landing gently on the sidewalk, and ignoring any startled glances and looks he was receiving (they were becoming quite tedious), he waited for Conner. The other could stay up in the air as long as he wanted to, but he was quite fine with having his feet on the ground again. Coluans were not exactly built for flight.

[Superboy]

Unable to help quirking an eyebrow at Brainy's words that said something along the lines of 'Is that so?', Conner didn't argue however. He did want to eat, after all. And did Brainy even need to eat? He was made of robot parts, so he assumed not... and yet he had eaten dinner last night without complaint. If it was an optional thing, then the suggestion that they stop to grab something was purely for his benefit, so he couldn't complain.
"You're the boss." He said instead, trying to remain impartial. His stomach would thank him, but Conner was still maintaining the appearance of someone who could go on flying without complaint for a couple more days.

More importantly, he had his confirmation that they were almost there, and that was an elating feeling.

Sure enough, they soon came to a point at which Brainy led them down below the cloud layer and suddenly Jump City was in full view. The clone's eyes took it all in, from the outskirts, the docks, into the less crowded area, and then the main districts, full of towering and important-looking buildings, and there in the distance, on a little island of its own, the infamous Titans' Tower. He could see cars in the streets and already he could hear the clear sounds of footsteps on sidewalks, blaring car horns, and, he thought, the tweeting of birds - maybe from the forest a little way away from the city on the hillsides. The yellow rays of the morning sun glanced off the clean windows of skyscrapers.

It was nice. It was a good view, but once you'd seen the Earth from space... once you'd seen the stars from way up there, nothing really came close in the aesthetically pleasing department. Even so, Conner took a few moments to observe everything he could see, taking the time to absorb and retain the sight presented before him, because although it might not have been the most impressive thing he'd ever seen, or was ever going to see, it was his first glimpse of the place that was about to become his home. At least for now. Whichever way he looked at it, Jump City was going to play an important role in his life, and so he took a minute to simply look at the city, remembering the details that he saw, the little giveaway signs that were unique to Jump - quite as one would memorize the unique contours and shapes that made up the face of a new person you were just now meeting.

Brainy was soon ready to move on though, and he followed him in his descent toward the city streets below.

Landing was something he hadn't had to do for a good while now, and he was struck with the sudden fear that he couldn't remember how to do it. Telling himself to keep calm, he kept his eyes fixed on his mentor as they came down to street level. Brainy's landing was, well, flawless - why wouldn't it be? Conner's was... not a disaster. He managed to come to a stop, but it was a little to soon, so that when he halted in his descent, he was still suspended about a foot above he sidewalk. He growled irritatedly and flailed his legs for a second or two, looking like he was riding an invisible bicycle, until one of his boots hit the ground, and once he made contact he fell out of his place in the air and landed properly with both feet on the concrete. After that, his first instinct was to stretch out. He leaned back a little, then spread his arms out wide, and then bent his knees. It was uncomfortable. He decided that he didn't like long journeys - flying or no flying, and hoped he wouldn't have to go on another one any time soon.

Only after stretching out and sighing contentedly did Conner look up to realize that there were quite a few people staring at them. That was strange for him, since he had been trying his best in Smallville to look as normal as possible. He had been so distracted that it hadn't even occurred to him that he had just landed via flight ring in the middle of a crowded street. Looks like a secret identity wasn't going to be so much his thing after all. That suited him just fine. He had always thought that pretending to be a dork so that nobody knew you were a superhero was for the birds anyway. Still, the staring was a little awkward. That would take a while to get accustomed to. Looking slightly nervous, he kind of half-waved at some of the citizens who had stopped to gaze blankly at them, before quickly following Brainy (who wasn't reacting to their strange looks at all - but then, he was probably very used to them) into a building that a sign proclaimed was called the 'Slice of Life'.

Inside he found a pleasant atmosphere. Not many people actually ate pizza for breakfast, it seemed, since there were only a few customers sat here and there. A couple in the corner were chatting about taking a visiting her mother during the holidays. An old man wearing a baseball cap was reading a newspaper while a mug of something hot sat in front of him on a table. There were wide windows on either side letting in plenty of sunlight. Conner stuck his hands in his pockets out of an instinct to try and look casual when surrounded by civilians, and simply elected to follow Brainy. This was new territory for him, so it was handy to have someone else to lead the way... though he figured that he could probably order a pizza by himself by now.

[Katie Hearth]

All that mattered was running. Her old sneakers hit the pavement in a surge of pure adrenaline rush. Downtown of Jump City was a blurry mess of dotting colors and a thick hodgepodge of shifting bodies and bobbing heads- she didn’t focus on one solemn face, she didn’t even try to distinguish the street names that rolled by, and half the time, when she wasn’t dodging a pair of shoes, or a swinging arm, Katie was crashing into them in a series of ‘oops!’ and ‘sorries!’ that were followed by angry rebuff of colorful words. The streets were crawling with activity. Buildings in the south area of Jump City had been remodeled with fresh paint and a wider avenue for people to walk in. There were restaurants and local business that thrived with the pungent of the western crowd and tourist that dined in the homeland where the titans lived.

There were too many of them.

Too many people out and about in the sunny day. Katie swung her head back - a step short from toppling over an elderly in the process- and she found nothing. Absolutely nothing abnormal in the crowd of curious bystanders. She wasn’t sure how far she had gotten when she rolled around the corner of an old antique shop, there was only the beating of her heart and the accumulation of fear that was hotwired into her head, not to mention the shortage of breath. Katie bent forward, her sweaty palms connected to her knees as she tried to gather her breath but her eyes did not leave the scene. She was searching now, her eyes darted back and forth, uncertain by her next move. It was only by a whim, that she made her next decision. There were round, metal, tables snuggled by chairs coordinated around the plaza. The area in general overlooked a large sea (the body of water caused a momentary shiver) where the Teen Titan’s ‘T’ building towered ominously towards an empty blue sky. She was already on one of the metal chairs, her school uniform swaying, and her red hair was a crazy mess, she was still panting into a megaphone, no doubt belonging from an unsuspecting cheerleader, she spotted while traveling towards the table.

“CODE GREEN STAT! People of Jump City, take your kids and your family away from here!” there was a pause of silence. What was once a calamity of crisscross words and the excitement of a beautiful day, shifted dramatically. The volume lowered into murmurs, hushed ones that questioned the validity of her statement, up until she blurted the following, “we are being attacked! Clear the area and go inside a sturdy building! Lock yours doors and--OOF!”

“Katie Hearth!” A hard grip clamped over her wrist and she felt herself falling, right into the arms of someone familiar. The graying hairs on his head, and the blue uniform had been a quick giveaway. How she was able to hold onto her megaphone, in addition to keeping herself from screaming, was a big surprise. That same megaphone was stripped from her hands before she could protest.

“Citizens of Jump City, do not be alarmed.”

“Dad, I saw it! This monster broke through the electrical lines around Bakery street! You can ask Mrs. Conner!”

“That is enough. I don’t want to hear any of this, you have the whole city alarmed every since last week. I don’t know what’s gotten into you but you better listen to me when I say this,” her father’s face turned a shade darker, perhaps out of anger, perhaps out of embarrassment, or a combination of both. The pronounce vein that popped every time he strained his voice, protruded but she wasn’t looking at him anymore. Their was a shifting around the crowd. Something hard and close by fell hard against concrete (the impact caused a rattle to disburse within the near vicinity). Whatever stability being woven into the neat confines of damage control, instantly unraveled. People were scattering. Katie found her footing when her father let go, they were both watching as Jump City’s plaza turned into a nightmare. Two lampposts were stripped away, carelessly, the electrical wires hissed and twisted, a building nearly collapsed when the monster in question propelled itself towards it. The creature was peculiar, it flickered and camouflaged. It’s grotesque body took the shape of a large beast, bigger than any dog she had ever seen, perhaps, around the same height of a horse. It’s most dominant feature were his teeth, which she thought, had the telltale sign of breaking through iron given the immensity of its mouth.

“Everyone, stay calm!”

The wide panic had left people tripping, falling, running over others, scampering for safety. Katie stepped back. She didn’t need to be told twice when her father pointed towards the direction of his police vehicle. She had slid towards the passenger seat and closed the doors. Her heart was pounding hard when it crash landed on the ground. It wasn’t the first time she had come face to face with a destructive beast (surely some monster created in a desolated lab), Jump city was the humble abode for natural and unnatural catastrophes, it breed destruction all the time. However; that didn’t make it any less easier on them. She still felt her palms shaking and her heart pounding, her eyes were cast on her father, who took cover behind a parked car.

There was another lurch. Bullets were fired. Katie slid down towards the floor of the patrol car and huddled her head between her arms. She could hear people screaming. Her breath came out shaky when someone cried out. Would there be a corpse lying around after this? She was afraid to find out. The roof of the car groaned from the imprint of a massive weight, she gave out a startled cry.

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[Brainiac 5]

Conner seemed to be taking all of this rather well, a fact which Brainiac 5 approved of. He was not overreacting like he had seen some of his teammates do far too often, and instead accepting it. True, it could be a false front, but even if it was, the fact that he would put up such a false front was one pleasing to him. Now, however, it was his turn to react, leading the way into the pizza parlor that he had attended with Beast Boy and Robin. He had observed Beast Boy yesterday, and it seemed that the proper protocol had not changed over the years. Good.

“Greetings,” he stated, taking in the sight of a very surprised girl, but one that did not seem to be as… shocked as the others, likely because it appeared this was a regular meeting ground for the Teen Titans. “Could we have-” The android found himself unable to finish his sentence, his hearing, better than a human’s but nowhere near as advanced as a Kryptonian’s, catching sounds outside that caused his purple eyes to widen slightly, worry and shock flitting over his face before they were carefully filed away. Screams. Yelling. Something being destructive.

He did not know if the Teen Titans had arrived to stop whatever or whomever it was, but even if they had, he had to at least assist in the evacuation of civilians. “The city is being attacked,” were his matter-of-fact words, delivered both to the clone he was with and the civilians, before he made a comment addressed just to the latter. “Stay here.” True, whatever it was was close to the building, but he and Conner could take care of it if the Teen Titans were preoccupied, and the likelihood that at least one of the team would show up was rather high (82.53% chance). Thus, going outside would definitely not be a smart move on their parts, but… Non-combatants did often not realize such a thing.

With that, he flew, zipping out of the doors and into the city, and the instant he was outside, free from the confining space that the restaurant boasted, he changed, plates and mechanics shifting outwards, growing, until he was in his battle mode once more, surveying their new opponent with quick eyes. Clearly a mutation of some form, as it was not identifiable as an alien species, thus there was a 65.83% likelihood that there was some higher motivation that this, rather than just a brutish animal attacking the city. Of course, there was also the added factor that it could be a creature that escaped, rather than was unleashed (Timber Wolf came to mind), but anyone who managed to create such a creature, this close to the city, would’ve definitely kept their base secure enough that such a breakout would be thwarted. It was a possibility, though…

It was at this moment, though, that he wished he did not have an inexperienced hero alongside him. He had planned to discuss tactics with Superboy, to explain how to both defeat a creature and make sure that civilians were safe at the same time. But now, there was no time, as the creature demonstrated by stepping on a police car, albeit not with its full weight, as it was distracted by their arrival, and so he fired off a rapid succession of lasers at its face, aiming at its eyes but only hitting the area as it moved. It reeled back, making an animalistic noise that held both pain and anger at the same time, and Brainy zipped forward, trusting Superboy to keep it occupied. He could handle it, couldn’t he?

The police car was likely going to be useless from then on, anyway, so Querl didn’t even both with taking the time to open the door, instead ripping it off, before he was confronted with the sight of a seemingly terrified Katie, huddled on the floor. “Katie, it’s me, Brainy,” he told her quickly, unsure if she would be in the presence of mind to identify the Brainiac symbols that he wore, scooping her up quickly in his arms, and zipping away from the beast. Later, when he found the police car completely destroyed, he would look back and be horribly, horribly glad he made such a decision.

It was likely that the safest place Katie would be was in his arms, where he had the shield to protect himself, but he would have to put her down. It was not as if he could not hold her and fight at the same time, though… Still, it was best to see how Superboy was faring, before he made any decisions in that department.

[Superboy]

Brainy had moved forward to go and order their food, but Conner had been distracted at this point by something he could hear outside. He frowned and listened, blocking out the sounds of the couple conversing in the corner and the general hum of the city streets outside. It was someone talking, warning people. It sounded like a girl, and she sounded quite alarmed by something, but her speech was cut suddenly short.

Deciding it was best not to ignore this, he took a step forward and was about to mention what he had heard to Brainy, when there was another sound that caught his attention - and from the look on his friend's face, he had heard it too. In a flash, the accomplished hero had already informed the customers in the room of the situation (something that hadn't even fully registered with Conner) and had flown out of the building to confront whatever it was that was causing a ruckus. Having had enough of flying if he could help it, Conner simply ran out through the doors behind him and out into the street.

The sounds of people screaming and yelling, things crashing to the ground and breaking, car alarms blaring - it all became piercingly clear when he stepped out into the street... and the cause of it all stood before them. It looked like nothing he'd ever seen before. It was about the size of a horse, but that was as far as he could relate it to any creature he'd seen on Earth before. Maybe it was an alien of some kind then. Whatever. All he needed to know was that it had a set of teeth on it and was currently pressing down on a police car with destructive intent.

Acting faster than Conner could collect his thoughts, Brainy had fired off a batch of laser shots at the creature's face and sent it reeling. Its balance was thrown out for a second as it staggered back away from the car, and Conner saw his chance. To stop and discuss how they were going to approach this fight would have been nice, but clearly there was no time for it now. It was time to act.

His mind flashed back in an instant to his sparring match with Brainy, and reminded him that simply running up to an opponent wasn't often the best approach, so instead he now crouched down, dug his heels into the sidewalk, and then launched himself with a super-jump at the monster, colliding with it haphazardly in an attempt to perhaps tackle it to the ground. He threw in a punch for good measure when they came into contact, but it was a wild, uncontrolled shot, and didn't do as much damage as it might have. His attack did the job of knocking the creature back though to the ground though, and Conner was able to land on his feet afterward. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Brainy was freeing a civilian from the police car. He hadn't even realized there was someone in there.

Deciding to keep his attention on the beast he was currently facing down, he took up a fighting stance, planting his feet firmly on the surface of the road and lifting his fists - a position more still and grounded than the one he had tried against Brainy yesterday.

This was a serious situation. People were in danger. They had to take this thing down - whatever it was - before it did any more damage. But even so, he couldn't help but remind himself that this was his first fight in Jump City, his first try at playing the hero. He had to do this right. First impressions were important, and his actions now would almost definitely set the tone for his entire career as a hero in Jump.

"Okay-" He said, staring down the snarling creature which seemed to be sizing him up in turn, "Let's get this over with so I can get back to my breakfast. What do you say?"

He had barely finished his quip when the monster had pounced across the space between them and barreled into him, knocking him off his feet and taking them both to the ground.