DC Gothic
Right then folks this story is total re-write of DC Gothic. I kind of figured that jumping around dimensions combined with power to copy skills and abilities made the character to uber. So I decided to stick with one universe and to set up a time line that suited me. Because of this some events might not happen when they should or at all, and I'll make some stuff up as well.
Also my writing style seems to be changing somewhat so this story might not seem as organised as some of my others.
This chapter will not have much happening as its Gothic's first year in a new universe. Mostly its just him settling in and learning what he can do.
DC Gothic – Teen Titans
Sometimes being me kinda sucked.
I mean of all the realities of I could have fallen into to it was bad enough that this was a D.C Verse, as there not exactly safe places to be, but what made it worse was that I wasn't even
going to get to play with grown ups as somehow I'd ended up a 'guest' of the Teen Titans.
I really needed a drink.
Oh no wait this was America, so the drinking age here was 21. Bloody Hell! I so needed to get back to London a place much quieter than this and I might have a chance to pass for eighteen across the pond.
That was another odd thing that had happened to me. I was a teenager again. Judging about the amount of facial hair I had the hair style I guessed 17. Which wasn't to bad at least that at least was towards the end of puberty.
I couldn't even smoke either as the kids who had locked me up had taken away my coffin nails. Apparently it was against the rules. The Teen Titans didn't smoke as they were role models. So this was a no smoking building.
"Fucking, bugger, damn, shit"
Oh yeah no swearing either.
At least not if I wanted to be let out of this cell. The Titans had to be role models for kids everywhere, even their prisoners/potential recruits.
Not that teens who fought super villains were the best sort of role models in the first place. No sane parent, not even mine, wanted their child running around in a cape and going up against cold stone killers, but hero-worship was a strange thing and I imagined the merchandising rights helped to pay the bills around here.
Which would also explain why they took my knife. Kids shouldn't play with knives. High tech sci-fi weapons are okay. Unleashing arcane magical is fine. Razor sharp animal claws are also fine. But no knives as someone could get hurt.
Taking my gauss pistols (gifts from the being that had sent me here) I could forgive, as with those shooting my way out of here would of a breeze and not just because the holes in the walls would let wind in. But that knife had been unforgivable leaving me completely weapon less in this universe was just plain mean.
Sitting back on the cot I wondered how long it was going to take the Titans to check in with their bosses.
I knew that Robin would want to talk with his pseudo father Batman and if my freedom depended on Bruce Wayne being trusting... well then I wasn't going to be getting a Teen Titans decoder ring any time soon.
Then again they might just keep me around in order to keep a close eye on me. Keep your enemy, or at least potential enemy, close and all that.
Speaking of possible enemies.
The Titans were now entering their jail area, although why they needed one was beyond me as they tended to turn people over to the police...
didn't they?
Robin's expression unclear, and while on the subject of Robins I had no idea which one he was. Dick. Tim. Jason or Damien
God I really hoped he wasn't Jason.
Raven was also unreadable but she did that whole Jedi 'there is no emotion there is only peace' thing so she might not be feeling anything at all.
I'd really hate to have to live like that but she had good reasons for not being a happy bunny. Her Dad made mine seem like Father of the year.
"So" I said hoping to start the talking "what are you going to do with me?"
"Well we talked to the League" explained Robin "they're going to work on sending you home".
The tone of Robin's voice told me that I shouldn't hold my breath, but I remained hopefully.
This world could have a version of the League that had travelled to alternate universes. If they'd been smart enough to salvage the technology, and given Batman's collecting habits that was likely, then they might have a chance of getting me home. But it was also possible that this lot had never even met anyone, other than myself, who was a different dimension. To add more difficulty I wasn't even from any of the DC verses.
"Nice of them to try" I replied.
"Until then... well".
Here it comes.
"Batman thinks you should join the team, or at least stay here for a while".
Good old Bruce. I knew complete lack of faith in people who weren't him would work for me. Best to keep me here where someone he at least partly trusts can keep an eye on me.
Besides I would hardly be the first person from another world who had been turned into a hero by a member of the League. Which I assumed was their long term plan for me. It was practically cliché in these parts.
"Okay but no tights, no cape, I'm not wearing a mask. Oh and I want my guns back" I demanded.
They guns really did look cool, and I hadn't even gotten fire them yet.
"I'm not going to let you shoot any body" said Robin.
Yeah maybe not Jason Todd then. I knew a lot about him, he'd never been too worried about bad people getting hurt.
"I promise not to kill anyone with them, well not unless the world's ending then I won't hold back".
Which wasn't the same thing as saying I wouldn't shoot anybody as there were lots of bad people out there who bullet proof. Also I hadn't said 'I won't kill anyone'.
"Fine" replied Robin in the tone of someone who is too tired to argue.
Must have been a long day so better to ask now.
"Oh and Mr Stabby too".
"Mr who?"
"My knife"
I could almost hear the guy's thoughts. They'd be something like; who the hell name's his knife other than a total psychopath. Truth be told I'd just picked the name to annoy my jailers.
"Errr...okay"
"And my..."
"Ah!" he called out "your stuffs in a locker just take it back".
Oh he was gonna be so much fun to mess with.
Ye gods I was already bored. Of course sitting on a sofa watching kid's shows wasn't exactly helping.
A week had gone by, then two and I was still here which meant that the JL hadn't figured out a way to send me home yet. Which honestly didn't surprise me as the work of an Elder God isn't so easily undone.
Honestly I had to wonder what I'd done to deserve this. Because if the strange creatur had wanted to reward me then why dump me in this crappy situation?
"Are you okay?" asked Raven, as she floated above the floor.
That was another annoying thing. Hot babes who weren't yet 18. No chance of any pre-marital sex around here. Well not legally anyway.
Plus teenage masturbation wasn't as thrilling this time round. Real sex was a lot more appealing and I was having a hard time not thinking about it.
No chance of scoring any weed either. Who the hell would sell to someone at this address?
That combined with no booze meant that I had no way to kill time.
Well I could always train more but this the group's down time.
"I'm bored" I explained "I want to go out and have some fun but that's not allowed".
It was very odd to me that the Teen Titans were allowed to fight super villains but they weren't allowed to just go off and explore the world.
None of them were quite adults yet and while I didn't have to go to school, as I legally didn't exist, I still had to supervised. Not that we were supervised per say but the guys in the Watchtower had made it clear that they didn't want me wandering off.
"You have way too much information about the League to risk letting you go off on your own" reminded Robin.
I kinda saw the Boy Wonder's point. There was no reason for any of them to trust me, and I could be very dangerous to them all if I fell into the wrong hands so I had to say put until I earned said trust.
Although come to think about it. Why wasn't I better guarded given all that I knew?
Maybe I was.
"Sorry guys I'm just frustrated" I told them "I've seen you all being heroes I know so much about this world and now I have a chance to be a hero in a world as amazing as this one but I'm stuck here".
"I do not understand why your extensive knowledge of our world you frustrated" stated Raven "It could be quite useful"
"With your knowledge of our enemies you will be a great assets in the fights to come" pointed out Starfire.
Sure, sounded good in theory but I'd watched this show or read the comics that covered this group. So I didn't have any clue what was going to happen. Which would at least make sure that I didn't get bored once I was out there in the fight.
At least the training was easy. My younger body was in a lot better shape than it should be and I was picking up the fighting skills really fast. I assume it was part of the ' go be a superhero' gift I'd gotten.
"It's just that I know its possible to have adventures that involve stuff like space travel, battling alien invasions and so on" I informed the magic girl "so I'm unhappy with staying put like this".
"You feel confined and useless" said Raven.
Well she was an empath so she didn't need to guess how I was feeling.
It hadn't been so bad when I was younger. Back these memories were fuel for my imagination, and helpful in that regard as I hadn't exactly had many friends to play with, but now I felt as if I should be out there doing stuff because I could.
"Don't worry" assured Robin "you'll see some real action soon".
"Die, die, die" Beast Boy shouted as the Thunder God standing before our eyes used an upper cut to send the soul sucking evil sorcerer over the platform and down into a pit of spikes. The scene was gory, but death was the way to deal with such scum.
"This Mortal Kombat game is well named" observed Raven.
"Not the kind of action I meant" was all Robin had to say on the matter.
"Whose hungry?" I asked.
I was bored so I might as well eat.
The member of intergang dropped to the floor as the frying pan met the back of his skull.
"Odd that he didn't attack you" questioned Robin once he was sure that the
rest of the tower was secure.
"I think it was 'Kiss The Chef' thing that put him off" I reasoned "nothing says non-combatant like flipping pancakes in a humours apron".
Which I guessed was very lucky.
"We do need to get you a uniform" stated the Boy Wonder.
"We might need the girls" I considered.
No way I was letting a guy in shorts and tights decided what I was going to wear.
"I did say no capes, or tights. Sorry ladies I just don't have the legs for them".
Only Starfire ever giggled when I made a joke. Raven on the other hand could be so depressing at times. Robin at least cracked the odd smile as for Beasty Boy, well he laughed at everything and sometimes at nothing at all. Cyborg didn't seem to like me so much, but that was no loss I wasn't exactly looking to have a walking toaster for a friend.
"I just don't think you should have anything showing a skull" debated Robin "its a symbol of death".
"Yes and Bats are a symbol of justice" I pointed out.
Robin wasn't the leader for nothing. He caught on fast.
"You want to scare them?" he asked.
The Punisher was a Marvel character so they would have no idea that I was just copying him. Besides along with dual wielding pistols, black coats were also cool.
"We need the bad guys to fear as well as respect us. Were pretty much the teen version of the JL so we need a Dark Avenger".
"You wanna be Batman!" shouted out the Boy Wonder.
"Oh gods no" I assured him.
Batman was many shades of awesome but I would never want his life.
"This is a role, he lives the life. I just want to make the bad guys wet themselves".
That got me another round of disgusted faces.
"Hey its bound happens when you terrorize criminals. What do you think happens to those guys Batman hangs off roof tops.
And they called me a novice.
"What do you think he's gonna call himself?" Beast Boy asked the others.
He and the other Teen Titans were all waiting in the common area for their new team member to finally reveal his costume. Only Robin had even the vaguest idea what was planned as he had provided the materials... well Batman had but he'd done it through his sidekick.
When Gothic eventually emerged from the room he'd been changing in, it was clear that he was prepared for some hard fighting. He wore black body armour with a white skull painted on his chest over more thick black clothing. This shoulders were equally well protected. He also wore thin but strong looking gloves. Then there were the steel-toed capped boots that looked to be as nearly as bullet proof than the rest of the outfit. As an accessory to his uniform around his waist was a black a utility belt. To top it all off he wore a long black coat that was made of something similar to Robin's own cape.
"Call me... Gothic."
"Yeah that so works" remarked Beast Boy.
"This is what you get for kidnapping little girls" I told the crook as I carved into this skin with Mr Stabby.
My first time on a mission and I had decided to make it clear to everyone that I was the Teen Titan who would always go further to punish the bad guys than the rest.
"Gothic, no" ordered Robin.
It was too late now the damage had been done. The wound on his face would scar.
"He kidnaps girls and then sells them to slavers" I reminded everyone "I bet he's done much worse to those he had helpless".
No one found it in them to argue about that.
"Besides every time that he looks in the mirror he'll remember what I can do to him".
And if he did it again and I caught him, well I'd have to think of something worse.
"You're so weird" commented Beast Boy.
Cyborg snorted and said
"I bet this is the least weird thing we find out about him".
"So not can you fight nearly as good as I can after only a few months of training your also immortal" said Robin as we both watched the gun shot wound vanish.
"You don't seem very surprised" I said.
Robin shifted where he stood.
"When you arrived you were dead" he explained "for a quarter of an hour, then you were alive. But none of knew if that was just some sort of fluke, cause there's nothing that we could find with our tests to explain how you came back from the dead".
Good points there and it did explain a lot. Still an ambulance, or a beam up the Watchtower to get me checked over by a doctor would have been nice.
"So how long have you known?" asked the Boy Wonder.
I hadn't actually, but it might have had something to do with why Vandal Savage had been in the weird dream place alongside the creature that had called itself... had it been the Traveller?
"Let's just say this was not the way I would of wanted to find out" I told him "this wasn't a good way to die".
"There are good ways to die" asked the leader of the Titans
"Sure" I replied "but my choices are a little too x rated to talk about".
"I don't want to know" Robin told me "I really do not want to know".
Talia al Ghul put down the directional microphone and showed the world that she could look hot even with a shocked expression upon her face. Next to her a female ninja with a video camera was also lowering her device, only in her case a mask covered her face.
She'd come to this city to spy upon her Beloved's protégée. Her father's latest scheme to turn the Detective into a man capable of taking his place would have involved kidnapping Robin in the hopes of finally making Batman kill in order protect someone he cared for.
That plan would have to be put aside for a time. The Demon's Head would want to know about this immortal boy who had, judging by the spied upon conversation, somehow obtained immortality.
Knowing her father as she did, Taila thought she might find herself playing the role of seductress once more.
She did so excel at it.
Life had take a sudden turn towards the strange. Which given what had happen to me so far this year was really saying something.
"Great I go out by myself for the first time in months and I get kidnapped".
"Don't worry about it to much kiddo, its kind of a tradition" said the Joker.
It had to be him didn't it. I blamed myself mostly... well a tiny bit. I had to dress like a Dark Avenger and then show that I was quite willing to maim someone for no other reason that I'd wanted to. Maybe it was karma, or more likely the guy I scarred had been working for the Joker. He was suppose to have a criminal empire after all. Or this could be completely random, with the Joker it was always hard to tell.
"I'm going to die" I complained "that's a sucky tradition.. it fact it fucking blows".
Both the Joker and his side kick seemed surprised that I swore.
"You're not to suppose to swear. You're the good guy".
I really hated that rule.
"Hey I never admitted to that" I protested "only the good die young and I want to live a good long time".
Well I would as I was immortal, or at least I couldn't be killed I didn't know how the whole ageing thing worked yet, but I really didn't want the Joker to know that.
Besides I had badly hurt one of his men when he been capturing me, that might make him very creative.
Torture was still a thing to be feared. Torture at the hands of Joker could turn me into something like him or maybe something even worse.
"Oh relax" said the Joker in calm voice "I'm just holding you for ransom. They'll either pay up or rescue you in the next few hours, it always works out that way".
Knowing my luck I wouldn't bet on being saved.
"I won't kill you. Well not unless I get bored and fair warning your whining isn't exactly amusing me".
Amusing I could work with that. I really didn't want to get shot again.
"Okay so a man and a horse walk into a bar and the barman asks: hey why the long face?".
To my surprise the Joker burst out laughing. Once he calmed down he explained to me what was so amusing.
"You know I've been doing this for... well longer than I care to admit and you're the first cape to ever tell ME a joke".
That could be a both a bad or good thing. With the Joker it could change on whim.
"All right lads clear out. We have work to do. Harley stay here and entertain yourself".
Okay so, this was the torture bit. What would it be? Knives? Shocks? Hyenas?
That was when Harley untied my hands and then started taking off her clothes.
In my view this was a very odd method of torturing people.
"Err what are you doing?" I asked the now naked woman who was now reaching for my belt.
"We can't have sex if your dressed silly".
Wait did I slip into the porno version of this universe at some point?
"Isn't the Joker your boyfriend?" I asked.
Cuckolding a super villain sounded like fun, but it could end very badly.
"Oh no" she replied "Mr Jay plays for the other team. Why do you think he's so obsessed with the Bat".
That actually explained a lot.
"Do you have sex with all your hostages?" I asked.
"Nah" she replied "but you made him laugh, so he likes ya".
I still had more to ask but Quinn's mouth was now doing something else and it seemed rude to interrupt.
"Why do you want a rocket launcher, handcuffs, twenty feet of rope and can of whipped creamed?" asked the Boy Wonder during our weekly budget meeting.
To be fair it was an odd series of requests
"In case a girl I met the other night makes a booty girl" I answered
Robin made a face.
He did that a lot when I talked
Solo patrol was something I had just had to get use to, and it wasn't exactly dangerous given that I couldn't die. Granted I could be kidnapped again but it had worked out well enough last time.
Besides it was the only time they let me go out by myself and even then I kept finding tracking devices in the oddest of places.
The Boy Wonder had learned his lessons well. Hell I'd bet my bottom dollar, whatever a bottom dollar was, that he was following me around on these solo patrols.
I couldn't really complain much given that it had allow him to rescue me from the clutches of the Joker. I was just grateful I had time to finish with Harley before the whole group came running in.
Well as ever I did my best. I ran across roof tops. Chased muggers. Chased shoplifters and I even got cats out of trees. That last one was the hardest, the cats in this reality had Wolverine like claws.
I quickly fired a grappler line, something else Robin had given me, and jumped. Soon I was swinging over to the next roof and landing with a forward roll that must of looked at least a little cool. Then I made my way over to the other side of the building and looked around.
Since this city wasn't as crime ridden as Gotham, even on a bad night, I actually had to wait a while for there to be a scream.
"Hero time" I muttered.
Once more I used the grappling hook gizmo to cheat gravity of another victim.
Soon enough I was on the ground and running to wear the scream had originated.
However when I got there I found a bunch of teenage girls standing in front of giant poster of Justin Timberlake.
"OMG he's gonna be performing here in two weeks!" said a girl who had for some reason decided that the obvious needed to be stated very loudly.
"No he won't" I decided with an evil smile plastered on my face.
In a hidden base far from what the naïve of the world called true civilization the Demon's Head once more studied the tape his daughter had presented him, along with a recording of the sort conversation between the Detective's protégée and a boy called Gothic. A talk that had taken place shortly after the hired assassin had failed to kill the Titan.
The paid for killer had actually been sent to merely wound the Boy Wonder, but this Gothic had taken the shot for his friend. That had all been part of a grand design that was suppose to anger the Batman enough to make him kill someone, but that was part of a plan that no longer mattered.
That this boy was immortal. That was what mattered now, but aside from that this young man had survived a shot to the heart he knew little else.
Who was his mother? Who was his father? Did he have any family? Were they around to be used a leverage against him if it came to that? What was the boy's real name?.
Did the Detective know?
Well of course he knew. The real question was: How much did he know?
Gothic, that was only name Ra's al Ghul had for the boy, he left very little in way of a paper trail. What the Demon's Head had been able to discover about the lad would just about fill the back of a postcard.
About the only thing that he found from outside his organisation was the lad had for some reason kidnapped one of those annoying pop stars.
He had to learn more.
The natural way to do was to send his daughter. If the boy was anything like his father, then he could be seduced. The task would be made simpler by his youth as hormones tended to be in charge of the lives of young men. Assuming of course he's tastes ran in that direction, the kidnapping suggested other, but if they did well money and power could seduce just as easily as a woman could in the longer run it could be cheaper.
But if this boy was truly immortal but still young enough to be moulded then Ra's al Ghul may have found an heir more suited to his purpose than the Detective. And as a bonus this Gothic wouldn't even need the Lazarus Pits as he was already immortal.
Finally someone who could succeed him and finally he might even get his daughter in a suitable marriage.
"Tell me again; why did you kidnap Mister Timberlake" the Martian Man Hunter demanded to know.
Currently I was standing in front of what had to one of the largest computer monitors that I'd ever seen and I was getting a dressing down from the JL's shape shifting member.
"I honestly felt that his life was in danger" I told the psychic being from another world.
One of the many good things about being me was that J'onn couldn't read my mind. I had some sort of natural psychic defence that prevented my mind from being read. It didn't stop Raven from knowing what I was feeling with her empathic powers but anyone with an understanding of body language could tell what emotion a person was feeling.
Thankfully the alien on the screen seemed to have a hard time seeing through my act. Well that or he was just pretending he couldn't read me like a book. I couldn't tell because I couldn't tell what he was feeling.
"In your report you stated that you overheard several fans who were planning to, and I quote 'keep him a closet and never let him out no matter what'".
"See a clear kidnapping threat" I argued.
For a naïve young hero at least.
"You didn't think that they may not have been serious. They were after all teenage girls and Mister Timberlake did have a large security detail"
Okay time for my defence.
"They didn't stop me" I pointed out.
In my view they couldn't have stopped an irate hamster from getting past them, but perhaps mentioning that hadn't been the best defence.
"And besides he was killed by his fans in my universe" I lied "he was torn apart by a mob around about this date actually".
Another oddity, as if I needed more, was that I was also in the past. Possibly an alternate time line. Of course Timberlake was still alive in my world, I assumed.
"Then why did you not tell us of the danger".
Thankfully I had good defence here.
"Would of you believed me?"
He had nothing to say to that so I carried on with the talking.
"Is he pressing charges?" I inquired.
Not that it would do any good as its kind of hard to put an non-existent person on trail. Also I wasn't even from this reality, and that was more to for a League paid lawyer to keep out of prison.
"No" informed my superior "apparently Superman spoke on your behalf. He explained that you were acting with the best intentions".
Well cancelling that stupid concert was a favour for all humanity in my opinion.
"Thank the big boy scout for me" I requested.
"At least you didn't scar the poor man".
Yeah cutting open that child kidnappers face hadn't gone down well. But at least he wouldn't forget me now.
"Since he lacks any real talent, I thought would be too cruel to mar his good looks".
That was the green man hung up. He really couldn't take a joke.
Still I was getting really good at driving heroes nuts. Honestly I could give the Joker a few tips the next time I saw him. For starters acting like a killer but never actually killing anyone seemed to leave them all very confused. They really couldn't tell whose side I was on.
I could get back to that sort of thing later.
"Starlight is very upset" informed the daughter of Trigon as I entered what I called the common room "she planned to attend the concert you caused to be cancelled".
Crap. This could led to a very powerful magic user being mad at me. Not exactly a good thing.
"Trust me I did her a favour" I told the demi-human "Justin Timberlake is an evil that can not be allowed to corrupt the youth of this nation".
Since that was how I felt that this Raven picked up on that and seemed to conclude that I had actually been trying to help people.
Even empathic powers can be fooled.
"I see, then I will attempt to comfort Starfire and advise her to seek a refund form the ticket distributors".
Why did everyone who suppressed their emotions end up sounding like they were on Star Trek?
"Yes you do that" I replied "As for me I'm most likely grounded so I'm going to go watch TV".
Talia had decided to start with a gift and the day most suited to sending it was fast approaching.
She had considered going directly for the deal closer.
Most men were a little slow on the uptake when it came to a woman's intentions, but she had dismissed the plan of turning up at his bedroom door naked with beer for a few reasons. The most important of those being where he lived. Naked but for a raincoat or otherwise she doubted that her soon to former Beloved's apprentice would just let her in.
Besides she was too high-class for that sort of thing, even the plan couldn't actually fail it was just to common for her. Normally she wouldn't even consider such a plan but since she knew next to nothing about her target she hadn't been able to come up with something that play on the boy's weaknesses, assuming he had any.
In the end she had decided that a bottle of something ridiculously expensive and an invitation to dinner in a place you needed to ludicrously rich just to get a reservation was the way to go.
That way was much better as she get to wear a nice dress over her otherwise naked body and she could take it off once inside the hotel room.
After all it only made sense to try and show the boy the life he could have right from the start.
Again crude but this Gothic was just a boy.
Today was the day I dreaded above all else. I'd known it was coming and unlike all the battles I'd fought so far (all three of them) I could win this fight. I could only endure what was to come and hope that it was over quickly.
It was not at all preventable, it had been a certain thing ever since I filled out the Teen Titan membership form. The second it had been filed away my fate had been sealed. There had been no doubt that they would find out...
"Happy Birthday"
…. that today was my birthday.
The gang had gone all out for the surprise party, not that I was surprised given that every Titan had gotten a surprise party before me and as my birthday was the last in the year I'd long ago seen this coming.
Yet I was still amazed by now touched I was. Plus there were mini pizzas, who doesn't like being served tiny pizzas?
Sadly the small food would have to wait as I needed to open my presents first.
"Unhealthy party foods must wait" declared Starfire "now is the time for the opening of annually given gifts that mark the day of your birth".
One of these days I'd met a hero girl who could say a sentence that didn't make me wish for either universal translator or telepathic abilities.
I could only hope it was more booze I might be 18 now but they still asked for I.D down at the market. Though I had no idea who would do that and invite me to dinner as the only girls I knew were hardly the type to let me just drunk.
It was most likely a trap. That or I had a very grateful fan out there. Either way I'd go met them.
As it turned out I got sent practical stuff, by a lot of people who I'd seen but never actually met for real. Which for me was welcome as I loved not having to shop so when people brought me thing I actually needed rather just what they thought I might want it saved me time. A great amount actually as internet shopping hadn't caught on in this reality.
They didn't even have ebay, poor sods.
"I've got your present in the garage" said Cyborg once I'd gotten through the over enthusiastic present wrapping that protected Starfire's gift.
"I now know what love is" I told everyone "this is with a doubt the single best thing a guy could get for his birthday".
The sight before me was so... well I had no words that would encompass just how great the sight before me was.
"It is a motorbike" stated Raven in tone I would describe as bored.
I didn't care I was too happy. Hence why I was hugging the bike.
"Is this a mating ritual?" inquired Starfire.
I stood up and stopped smiling.
"No this is me being happy".
"It is a motorbike" stated Raven with a slight amount of feeling in her voice.
Was that jealousy? Nah it couldn't be she must just think that I was acting like a fool.
"No its freedom" I argued "and super cool".
All the guys nodded. They understood.
""It is a motorbike" stated Raven again "I am sure of this".
"Does it have any James Bond type stuff" I asked of Cyborg.
"No hidden machine guns, sorry. But it can deploy tire spikes, smoke grenades for cover, and it can fly".
Every one turned to him.
"Well not fly but it does glide".
"What, really?" inquired Robin
Cyborg assured us that it did by explaining further.
"If you go over a cliff or drive it off a building".
And knowing my driving skills as I did one of those circumstances would come to pass soon enough.
"It will deploy a set of glider wings. It will slow you down enough for a smooth landing or you can use the parachute if you're not in a rush to get to ground level".
Yeah he hadn't forgotten about the time his car was stolen and I helped to recover it. I hadn't known how to drive at point so going off the cliff had been an inevitable.
"Fuel?" I asked.
"Fusion powered" answered the part machine guy "should last about twenty years".
Wow. That pretty much summoned it up.
"Well I'm 18 and I have a motorbike so you know what that means boys and girls".
"Cruising for chicks" suggested Beast Boy.
"Well yeah, duh" I replied.
"High speed car chases" was Robins two cents.
"Again. Well yeah, duh" I answered.
"Driving lessons" said Raven.
"Hello immortal bloke here. I can't die in a car crash. Well others might so maybe one or two lessons".
Raven put on what I guessed to be a smug expression when I agreed to take the lessons, but it was hard to tell with her.
"Getting a safety helmet" were words spoken by Cyborg "helps with keep our brains inside your skull. .
He hadn't forgotten the helmet. All the bells and whistles were included.
"Staying here for the party" was what Starfire said "that is what this means:
Star did so love a good party.
"Yes, but after that" I replied "I'm going on a road trip".
After this year I so needed a vacation.