'Do do do do do do do!' The bleeper on my tool belt goes off, and I feel my
eyes narrow without really thinking about it.
"Titans!" I yell, so that Beast Boy and Cyborg will definitely hear me, "Go!"
Without a word, everyone drops everything, and we run (or fly, in the case of Raven and Starfire) as fast as we can as a group out of the greenery of the park and across the street to the shopping mall.
I see Beast boy transform into a giant cat out of the corner of my eye, as he needs to travel faster to keep up. I keep my senses as alert as possible, and pick up my own pace so that I'm at the head of the group, where I feel I should be.
There's a large crash from the front of the shopping mall, and several screams can be heard. Another crash, and a nasty high pitched giggle is heard from the other side of the broken wall.
"Yeah! This is too easy!" Screeches an arrogant voice that I recognize. I narrow my eyes further, and see Beast Boy beside me again, in his human(ish) form.
"Dude, didn't we..." "...put him in jail?" Raven finishes the sentence for him, as an explosion rips through another section of the wall.
"Gizmo!" Says Cyborg somewhat incredulously. "That little squirt? He's the reason we gave up our afternoon off?"
"Hey!" An indignant cry comes from inside the building, and I realize that said little squirt appears to have been emptying the cash register, and was planning to leave through this particular hole in the wall. He appears, silhouetted at first against the brick dust, still short as he ever was, and carrying a sack almost the same size as himself.
"Get out of the way, snot brains!" A large, mechanical arm suddenly sweeps across the group, sending myself, Beast Boy and Cyborg flying.
"Oh no you don't," announces Starfire, and I see her eyes glowing as I flip backwards, and land on my feet. She growls as she fires six starbolts at him, and I growl myself as the mechanical arm changes direction, and aims for her.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" The arm is suddenly surrounded in a black aura, and twists back on itself against its mechanisms.
Gizmo yelps, as he begins to topple backwards, and I realize that he's been sat on some kind of robot with an extending claw. The controls fall out of his hands, and are neatly caught by Cyborg.
"I don't think so, you little geek," he grins, yanking the controls right out of the machine.
"Noo!" Cries Gizmo, as sparks begin to fly. I run forward, and take the opportunity of his distraction to grab him by the arms and pin him, while Cyborg and Ape-Beast Boy kill the robot thing.
I grab the money bag out of his arms, and throw it up towards the girls. Starfire catches it deftly, and flies into the store to, I assume, tidy up a bit and return the money. I pull a pair of cuffs off my belt, and secure the juvenile offenders wrists with a scowl. The sound of police sirens alerts him to the fact that he's not getting away, and he scowls in defeat, his shoulders slumping slightly.
Raven is using her telekinesis to repair parts of the wall, and Cyborg is fully disassembling the robot. Beast Boy appears next to me.
"Get back in jail," he says to Gizmo, tartly. I set my face, and the police van pulls over. Beast Boy opens the back doors, and I throw Gizmo into the van with not much effort. Beast Boy slams the doors shut, tips an imaginary hat to the driver, and grins as he waves Gizmo goodbye. I scowl slightly as the van drives away, and turn to see Starfire and Cyborg are helping Raven repair the building.
"Dude, something wrong?"
I blink. "No, nothing." Beast Boy shrugs, without looking at me, and watches as Raven seals back in the last wall panel.
"Nice job," he says, running forward suddenly, to the rest of the group. The girls float down to the ground.
I scowl, and feel oddly frustrated for some reason. It's almost painful to school my face back into a natural expression, and I force the negative feelings downward.
Raven pulls down her hood. "I think we're done."
"Did we not previously put Gizmo in jail?" Asks Starfire, looking pensive.
"Yeah," replies Cyborg, "I thought so." He rubs his chin, looking mildly annoyed.
"Ah well," adds Beast Boy. "At least he's back there now."
Everyone, for some reason, turns and looks at me. I almost take a step back.
"What?" I could swear that Cyborg and Raven are looking at me strangely. Maybe it's paranoia though, because Beast Boy grins. "So... are we getting back to the picnic, going home, or can we go out today?"
Starfire immediately lights up, and I wonder what she has planned. "May we go shopping for clothes?" She asks, looking hopeful. Ever since her first shopping trip with Raven after they temporarily switched bodies, Starfire seems to have wanted to go again, with more money to buy things, but we haven't actually had any time.
I nearly smile. "Ok, do we need to get changed first?" Cyborg raises an eyebrow. "Well, I don't. But I guess the mall's right here," he knocks on the recently repaired wall, "and you can just buy something if you feel like it."
"Yeah, shopping!" Announces Beast Boy, looking fairly excited. "Uh," he stares around the wall. "Where's the door?"
"This is the east wing," I tell him automatically, "the door's around the front."
He puts his arm behind his head and a sweat drop appears as he grins sheepishly. "I knew that!"
I try not to goggle my eyes as Raven smacks him upside the back of the head. He ducks, grinning, and she smiles a bit back. "So are we going?"
Raven, who hasn't said a word either way about shopping for clothes in the mall, leads the way around to the front entrance near to the parking lot.
We all follow, and I notice that she leaves her hood down, obviously not too keen on being recognized.
"Where are we going first?" Enquires Starfire, obviously getting excited about the coming experience.
"Clothes," announces Raven. I blink. I suppose Raven is a girl. "Yay!" Exclaims Star. I grin slightly. "Clothes sound good," I decide.
"Uhh... we don't really need clothes," says Beast Boy, speaking for himself and Cyborg. "Can we go elsewhere, and meet up with you guys for lunch maybe?"
I don't answer for a minute, and then realize that he's directing the question at me. "Uh, yeah, sure!" I reply, automatically making my voice sound chirpy.
"Well O.K. then!" Says Cyborg, rubbing his hands together. He and Beast Boy depart through the doors, discussing no one knows what as they head towards the elevator.
"Shopping!" Cries Starfire joyfully, clasping her hands at her chest. I grin again; I like to see Starfire happy. It seems to be how nature intended her, and when she's happy, she sort of radiates. It makes me smile. I wonder if it's an alien thing, then I remember her sister. I grin wider.
"Titans!" I yell, so that Beast Boy and Cyborg will definitely hear me, "Go!"
Without a word, everyone drops everything, and we run (or fly, in the case of Raven and Starfire) as fast as we can as a group out of the greenery of the park and across the street to the shopping mall.
I see Beast boy transform into a giant cat out of the corner of my eye, as he needs to travel faster to keep up. I keep my senses as alert as possible, and pick up my own pace so that I'm at the head of the group, where I feel I should be.
There's a large crash from the front of the shopping mall, and several screams can be heard. Another crash, and a nasty high pitched giggle is heard from the other side of the broken wall.
"Yeah! This is too easy!" Screeches an arrogant voice that I recognize. I narrow my eyes further, and see Beast Boy beside me again, in his human(ish) form.
"Dude, didn't we..." "...put him in jail?" Raven finishes the sentence for him, as an explosion rips through another section of the wall.
"Gizmo!" Says Cyborg somewhat incredulously. "That little squirt? He's the reason we gave up our afternoon off?"
"Hey!" An indignant cry comes from inside the building, and I realize that said little squirt appears to have been emptying the cash register, and was planning to leave through this particular hole in the wall. He appears, silhouetted at first against the brick dust, still short as he ever was, and carrying a sack almost the same size as himself.
"Get out of the way, snot brains!" A large, mechanical arm suddenly sweeps across the group, sending myself, Beast Boy and Cyborg flying.
"Oh no you don't," announces Starfire, and I see her eyes glowing as I flip backwards, and land on my feet. She growls as she fires six starbolts at him, and I growl myself as the mechanical arm changes direction, and aims for her.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" The arm is suddenly surrounded in a black aura, and twists back on itself against its mechanisms.
Gizmo yelps, as he begins to topple backwards, and I realize that he's been sat on some kind of robot with an extending claw. The controls fall out of his hands, and are neatly caught by Cyborg.
"I don't think so, you little geek," he grins, yanking the controls right out of the machine.
"Noo!" Cries Gizmo, as sparks begin to fly. I run forward, and take the opportunity of his distraction to grab him by the arms and pin him, while Cyborg and Ape-Beast Boy kill the robot thing.
I grab the money bag out of his arms, and throw it up towards the girls. Starfire catches it deftly, and flies into the store to, I assume, tidy up a bit and return the money. I pull a pair of cuffs off my belt, and secure the juvenile offenders wrists with a scowl. The sound of police sirens alerts him to the fact that he's not getting away, and he scowls in defeat, his shoulders slumping slightly.
Raven is using her telekinesis to repair parts of the wall, and Cyborg is fully disassembling the robot. Beast Boy appears next to me.
"Get back in jail," he says to Gizmo, tartly. I set my face, and the police van pulls over. Beast Boy opens the back doors, and I throw Gizmo into the van with not much effort. Beast Boy slams the doors shut, tips an imaginary hat to the driver, and grins as he waves Gizmo goodbye. I scowl slightly as the van drives away, and turn to see Starfire and Cyborg are helping Raven repair the building.
"Dude, something wrong?"
I blink. "No, nothing." Beast Boy shrugs, without looking at me, and watches as Raven seals back in the last wall panel.
"Nice job," he says, running forward suddenly, to the rest of the group. The girls float down to the ground.
I scowl, and feel oddly frustrated for some reason. It's almost painful to school my face back into a natural expression, and I force the negative feelings downward.
Raven pulls down her hood. "I think we're done."
"Did we not previously put Gizmo in jail?" Asks Starfire, looking pensive.
"Yeah," replies Cyborg, "I thought so." He rubs his chin, looking mildly annoyed.
"Ah well," adds Beast Boy. "At least he's back there now."
Everyone, for some reason, turns and looks at me. I almost take a step back.
"What?" I could swear that Cyborg and Raven are looking at me strangely. Maybe it's paranoia though, because Beast Boy grins. "So... are we getting back to the picnic, going home, or can we go out today?"
Starfire immediately lights up, and I wonder what she has planned. "May we go shopping for clothes?" She asks, looking hopeful. Ever since her first shopping trip with Raven after they temporarily switched bodies, Starfire seems to have wanted to go again, with more money to buy things, but we haven't actually had any time.
I nearly smile. "Ok, do we need to get changed first?" Cyborg raises an eyebrow. "Well, I don't. But I guess the mall's right here," he knocks on the recently repaired wall, "and you can just buy something if you feel like it."
"Yeah, shopping!" Announces Beast Boy, looking fairly excited. "Uh," he stares around the wall. "Where's the door?"
"This is the east wing," I tell him automatically, "the door's around the front."
He puts his arm behind his head and a sweat drop appears as he grins sheepishly. "I knew that!"
I try not to goggle my eyes as Raven smacks him upside the back of the head. He ducks, grinning, and she smiles a bit back. "So are we going?"
Raven, who hasn't said a word either way about shopping for clothes in the mall, leads the way around to the front entrance near to the parking lot.
We all follow, and I notice that she leaves her hood down, obviously not too keen on being recognized.
"Where are we going first?" Enquires Starfire, obviously getting excited about the coming experience.
"Clothes," announces Raven. I blink. I suppose Raven is a girl. "Yay!" Exclaims Star. I grin slightly. "Clothes sound good," I decide.
"Uhh... we don't really need clothes," says Beast Boy, speaking for himself and Cyborg. "Can we go elsewhere, and meet up with you guys for lunch maybe?"
I don't answer for a minute, and then realize that he's directing the question at me. "Uh, yeah, sure!" I reply, automatically making my voice sound chirpy.
"Well O.K. then!" Says Cyborg, rubbing his hands together. He and Beast Boy depart through the doors, discussing no one knows what as they head towards the elevator.
"Shopping!" Cries Starfire joyfully, clasping her hands at her chest. I grin again; I like to see Starfire happy. It seems to be how nature intended her, and when she's happy, she sort of radiates. It makes me smile. I wonder if it's an alien thing, then I remember her sister. I grin wider.