Chapter four's here!! Thanks to everyone who left me reviews, I really appreciate it. I actually think that there is a ratio between how many reviews I get and how much I work on the next story. ;) Anyway, hope you all enjoy this one.
Disclaimer: Not mine, all characters owned by DC, I'm just messing around with them for a little while.
Chapter Four: Tour
The next half-hour was taken up with an exhaustive tour of the Titan's base. I was officially impressed. There were extensive living quarters, each tailored to meet the needs of the occupants. The computer set up was superb, and I was able to recognize the distinct work of a certain redheaded guru. There was a large conference hall, a huge garage, and a rec. room littered with things to do. The very bottom level of the complex was a gym and training area. The kitchen was a mess. I mentally grinned. If I had to lay a bet, I'd say that Impulse was the last one in here. It looked exactly like the Young Justice kitchen had after he went through one of his 'I don't know what I want, so I'll just look at everything in less than a second' moods.
I commented on things to Lian, who was proud to be the one to show me around. I managed to keep up a conversation with her while my thoughts drifted elsewhere. I was amazed by how well my friends had reacted. I hadn't realized that they had assumed that I was dead. I guess after that it was easy to forgive my disappearance. I didn't really think that there would be no incidents of anger in the future, but it was nice to have gotten through the initial meeting without being punched by someone with super strength. Trust me, I've been there, not a happy thing. So it was nice not to be in traction, but it made me wonder if they would continue to be so happy with me once they had a chance to think it over.
Hopefully they would realize the truth. I'd given them enough information for them to know that I hadn't disappeared on purpose. I didn't really want to share details about my failing relationship with my father, but I would if I had to, to keep their friendship. Hopefully, it wouldn't become necessary.
I was dragged away from my thoughts by the continuing tour. We headed a flight of stairs to what was obviously the underground area of the tower. The gym area was by far my favorite place. About a quarter of the huge area was workout machines of almost every type. I saw a few I'd never seen before, obviously intended for someone with powers. Another quarter housed a variety of weapons, and places to train with them. A variety of targets stood up against one wall and I picked up a short bladed knife and asked Lian to pick a target for me.
She looked at me and at the knife and then pointed at one that was only about four inches off the ground and a good twenty feet away. Sheesh, she had to pick the hardest one. Still, she was Roy's daughter, she could probably make the shot herself. I took a split second to mark the target in my mind and hit the ground rolling. I released the knife with a flick of the wrist as I tumbled and sprung back to my feet before looking to see if my throw had hit where I'd aimed.
Lian nodded appreciatively at the knife, which was embedded with the blade half in the very center of the target. "Good shot. Now, pick one for me. Not so far away though."
I looked over the targets while she ran to retrieve the knife. When she returned, I pointed out a large target that was only about ten feet off. "That one, but see if you can put it in the red line, not the center." She nodded and then threw the knife with a downward sweep of her arm. The knife thudded into the target, bisecting the red line perfectly.
I clapped and she blushed slightly. "I sure can tell that you're Roy's daughter, alright. Good shot." Lian beamed at the praise and we continued our tour of the basement.
The rest of the area was part obstacle course and part training facility. Reinforced glass surrounded two sides, so that training could be monitored. I examined the glass, noticing that there was a clear coating. Nice. They had the glass treated so that with a flick of a switch the glass would turn opaque. Lian hit a button and one of the panels slid open. "Wanna try it?"
I considered. It might be fun, and it was a nice place to work out. "Only if you try it with me. That is, if you're allowed too?"
"Oh yeah, Daddy's teaching me martian arts. We practice in here a lot."
"Oh really? I think you mean martial arts though." I had to grin at her slip of the tongue. I shook the mental picture of J'onn in an artist's smock, painting, out of my head. Blast my imagination.
"Oh, I guess you're right. That's when you kick and stuff, right?" At my nod, she continued, "Do you know mart-martial arts?" Curiosity shone in her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess. I'm pretty good."
"Better than Daddy?"
Whoo boy, I wasn't going to touch that one with a ten foot bo. "I don't know. I haven't seen him fight for a long time." Change the subject. "Why don't you show me what you know. Maybe you'll be better than me."
"Oh, I'm not very good at this yet. I'm better at throwing things." She grinned at me and put up her hands in a defensive posture.
I watched her as she circled me. She tried to strike me a couple of times and I blocked her each time, studying her form as she went. She was right, she wasn't all that good in the grand scheme of things, but considering that she was only seven, she was superb. A couple more years and there'd be another hero in the ranks, unless I missed my guess.
I saw a hole in her guard and went through it, tapping her lightly on the chest with my open palm. She wrinkled her nose. "Opps. What'd I do wrong?" I showed her how to fix her defense and she tried again. This time when I sent the blow her way, she blocked it. The smile that came over her face lit up the room.
We spent the next twenty minutes practicing. She would try to hit me and I'd critique her strikes, and then I'd gently test her defenses. She was so much shorter than I was that I had to tailor my own defenses quite a bit. I told her so and informed her that this was good practice for me too.
She had just opened her mouth to answer when something caught the corner of my eye. A man, just entering the basement, dressed in black. Gun! I moved as fast as I ever have, grabbing a shocked Lian and diving for the nearest cover. I shielded her with my body as we landed behind one of the obstacle course blocks. Lian let out a little squeak as I landed partly on top of her, knocking the breath out of her. An inarticulate growl of rage came from the man in black. Who the heck was this and how did he get in here?
TBC...
Disclaimer: Not mine, all characters owned by DC, I'm just messing around with them for a little while.
Chapter Four: Tour
The next half-hour was taken up with an exhaustive tour of the Titan's base. I was officially impressed. There were extensive living quarters, each tailored to meet the needs of the occupants. The computer set up was superb, and I was able to recognize the distinct work of a certain redheaded guru. There was a large conference hall, a huge garage, and a rec. room littered with things to do. The very bottom level of the complex was a gym and training area. The kitchen was a mess. I mentally grinned. If I had to lay a bet, I'd say that Impulse was the last one in here. It looked exactly like the Young Justice kitchen had after he went through one of his 'I don't know what I want, so I'll just look at everything in less than a second' moods.
I commented on things to Lian, who was proud to be the one to show me around. I managed to keep up a conversation with her while my thoughts drifted elsewhere. I was amazed by how well my friends had reacted. I hadn't realized that they had assumed that I was dead. I guess after that it was easy to forgive my disappearance. I didn't really think that there would be no incidents of anger in the future, but it was nice to have gotten through the initial meeting without being punched by someone with super strength. Trust me, I've been there, not a happy thing. So it was nice not to be in traction, but it made me wonder if they would continue to be so happy with me once they had a chance to think it over.
Hopefully they would realize the truth. I'd given them enough information for them to know that I hadn't disappeared on purpose. I didn't really want to share details about my failing relationship with my father, but I would if I had to, to keep their friendship. Hopefully, it wouldn't become necessary.
I was dragged away from my thoughts by the continuing tour. We headed a flight of stairs to what was obviously the underground area of the tower. The gym area was by far my favorite place. About a quarter of the huge area was workout machines of almost every type. I saw a few I'd never seen before, obviously intended for someone with powers. Another quarter housed a variety of weapons, and places to train with them. A variety of targets stood up against one wall and I picked up a short bladed knife and asked Lian to pick a target for me.
She looked at me and at the knife and then pointed at one that was only about four inches off the ground and a good twenty feet away. Sheesh, she had to pick the hardest one. Still, she was Roy's daughter, she could probably make the shot herself. I took a split second to mark the target in my mind and hit the ground rolling. I released the knife with a flick of the wrist as I tumbled and sprung back to my feet before looking to see if my throw had hit where I'd aimed.
Lian nodded appreciatively at the knife, which was embedded with the blade half in the very center of the target. "Good shot. Now, pick one for me. Not so far away though."
I looked over the targets while she ran to retrieve the knife. When she returned, I pointed out a large target that was only about ten feet off. "That one, but see if you can put it in the red line, not the center." She nodded and then threw the knife with a downward sweep of her arm. The knife thudded into the target, bisecting the red line perfectly.
I clapped and she blushed slightly. "I sure can tell that you're Roy's daughter, alright. Good shot." Lian beamed at the praise and we continued our tour of the basement.
The rest of the area was part obstacle course and part training facility. Reinforced glass surrounded two sides, so that training could be monitored. I examined the glass, noticing that there was a clear coating. Nice. They had the glass treated so that with a flick of a switch the glass would turn opaque. Lian hit a button and one of the panels slid open. "Wanna try it?"
I considered. It might be fun, and it was a nice place to work out. "Only if you try it with me. That is, if you're allowed too?"
"Oh yeah, Daddy's teaching me martian arts. We practice in here a lot."
"Oh really? I think you mean martial arts though." I had to grin at her slip of the tongue. I shook the mental picture of J'onn in an artist's smock, painting, out of my head. Blast my imagination.
"Oh, I guess you're right. That's when you kick and stuff, right?" At my nod, she continued, "Do you know mart-martial arts?" Curiosity shone in her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess. I'm pretty good."
"Better than Daddy?"
Whoo boy, I wasn't going to touch that one with a ten foot bo. "I don't know. I haven't seen him fight for a long time." Change the subject. "Why don't you show me what you know. Maybe you'll be better than me."
"Oh, I'm not very good at this yet. I'm better at throwing things." She grinned at me and put up her hands in a defensive posture.
I watched her as she circled me. She tried to strike me a couple of times and I blocked her each time, studying her form as she went. She was right, she wasn't all that good in the grand scheme of things, but considering that she was only seven, she was superb. A couple more years and there'd be another hero in the ranks, unless I missed my guess.
I saw a hole in her guard and went through it, tapping her lightly on the chest with my open palm. She wrinkled her nose. "Opps. What'd I do wrong?" I showed her how to fix her defense and she tried again. This time when I sent the blow her way, she blocked it. The smile that came over her face lit up the room.
We spent the next twenty minutes practicing. She would try to hit me and I'd critique her strikes, and then I'd gently test her defenses. She was so much shorter than I was that I had to tailor my own defenses quite a bit. I told her so and informed her that this was good practice for me too.
She had just opened her mouth to answer when something caught the corner of my eye. A man, just entering the basement, dressed in black. Gun! I moved as fast as I ever have, grabbing a shocked Lian and diving for the nearest cover. I shielded her with my body as we landed behind one of the obstacle course blocks. Lian let out a little squeak as I landed partly on top of her, knocking the breath out of her. An inarticulate growl of rage came from the man in black. Who the heck was this and how did he get in here?
TBC...