Teen Titans In The Field (3)

Teens in a Mall

NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE

As fanfiction apparently doesn't get noticed on wattpad unless it's Porn
I am moving all this to ArchiveOfOurOwn.
The process will take a few months as I don't want to flood the board.

The remaining chapters of this 20k novella are still here, unpublished and available upon request.

They are also (or will later be published) here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toyloli

NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE

* The following work is the start of a my own Alternate Universe
* Teen Titans, Justice League and all attached characters are owned by DC Comics
* The Inscrutable Machine and all attached characters are owned by Richard Roberts and are used with permission.

This is Episode 3

Charlie Kimichi

"Truce Zones Rock. No joke, always all the time without exception! The Truce zone in LA is just a chunk of China-Town and consists mostly of open air markets and a fukuda mall!" Myself and the new Teen Titans gawked as we travelled from the Train Station to the Mariana Shopping Complex. We were near the river right in the heart of a tourist area, and the building we approached was a sight to look at. Easily for city blocks, about the size of Chinatown but only one building.

"Fukada is where the old traditional buildings are roofed over and joined up. The bottom floor there is a mish-mash of traditional Chinese buildings joined together with the floors higher up in a more modern style. I honestly would have liked to take you there! This looks less, well. We'll see, I guess!"

Leading the posse into the building I was glad to see they kept close. Much like China Town, there was a throng of caped villains and heroes filling this building. Regular shops that during normal business hours probably sold mundane wares had changed over their stock, except for food stalls and some clothing shops that clearly did the same trade in both times. Fashion shops, book shops and nick-nack shops rubbed shoulders with magic book shops, weapons shops and mad science nick-nack shops. Now I thought about it, not that different to regular malls, just a little on the darker end.

"There are so many bright colours, and so much noise!" Starfire was basically walking five feet off the ground, her feet moved as though the ground was actually beneath her but at that height she looked over everything. Probably the Bird Boy had the least interesting view, being both shorter than me and unable to fly!

Striding into my element I called out to them, bulking up and wearing my power a little more on the outside. "Stay Close, Keep an eye out for the Fish head. And mind you're purses, nobody will steel from you but the shop keepers will rob you on sales!" I laughed, getting a concerned return laugh from Robin.

"I have recognised people from like 20 wanted posters already." He said quietly, I stopped, still not looking at him. Robin was a Sidekick, and trained by one of the biggest crime fighting buffs in history. I was starting to wonder if this was actually a good idea.

Instead he stepped past me, punching my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not idiotic enough to cause trouble. I'm just surprised that they would show up here of all places." Now I followed in step, looking down at Robin. I was a shark, he walked like a tiger. He stalked, slipping past muscle bound or crazy caped figures as though he was the most dangerous person in the room.

"Good. Last thing I'd want is to beat up my own team-mate!" I growled, then I spotted something. A poster, I hesitated staring and a second later Robin stopped.

"Oh, wait I didn't know she was writing a book!" He said it so calmly!

The poster was for a signing happening further down the mall. "A lifetime beside Death, by Sandra Wu-San." it showed an older woman, short with a motherly face, a bob of gorgeous hair, fine Asian features and a calm poise that screamed danger to the animal parts of by brain. "Please explain." I said, "This is a poster of Lady Shiva! The oldest of Old guards! Her kids are famous! Her stories are Epic! How are you not awed?"

"I know!" Was the reply I got, Robin stalking ahead. "Look, I can introduce you if you like. She'd one of Batman's oldest associates, and I've met her several times!"

I stopped. By brain felt like it was exploding. "Aaaah, no! Cause! DUUUH!" and chased the kid, trying to catch up. "You HAVE to be joking. THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLE!"

We didn't notice at the time we'd lost Starfire.

I felt really guilty about that later, not that she seamed too concerned. Robin regaled me the whole way with stories, "So, I met her during a Drug Bust. She was there for an unrelated reason, and I'd just started solo hero work, you know. After everything else. She helped me to get in to the hide-out and basically clean-sweep killed all the guards. Not a good thing, but they were drug lords. That happened before I arrived leaving the way open for me. During the whole thing though she offered to teach me, so I've been attended classes with her on and off. You know, for a year or so."

I nodded, keeping up. Obviously the side-kick would meet interesting people in the line of work. Yes, I'd met Miss A, The Inscrutable Machine and Gabriel, but telling myself it wasn't a competition wouldn't help. "Then duuude, I'd love to meet your mentor! Do ya think She'd sign my skull! It'll have to be my human one though."

"Noo need! Looks like she's doing signed books!" We walked past mall security, a blue coloured costume with a storm symbol on the back, escorting a guy bigger than me away if cuffs. The chatter around the room, in laughs and whispers was "Can't believe he tried to touch her. Surprised he isn't dead!"

I gulped. "Or, maybe I should join the line like a normal person!" I commented dryly.

"Good Idea!"

Starfire caught up with us while I was in line. I greeted the girl walking beside Star with shock, and a fist bump. "Claire! Wow, this is unexpected!"

"Hey Charlie!" Claire flounced over to me, giving me her best thousand watt grin, I hesitated. Not a super-powered grin, something was going on, "Good to see you outside of school! I heard you'd been transferred out but never knew it was up here!"

I nodded, casually responding, "Oh, yeah no I wasn't actually kicked out of School. Just suspended for fighting, I still want to do the rugby thing ya know! Part of my parole I have to hang out with these guys and act civil!" If she was going low power on me, I could afford to dial back as well. We gossiped for a bit as I wondered along the line, and my phone started ringing. Pulling it out I looked it over. My uncle. I swelled, "I should take this, you three have fun!" I called at their retreating backs, and answered the phone.