Chapter Fourteen: Me Versus the Platinum Man

Chapter Fourteen

Me Versus the Platinum Man

I get asked about this one a lot.  I was tasked by The Society with stealing a prototype quantum processor that was in the Big Apple.  I was in and out.  I mean, no one is better at breaking into impenetrable vaults than me.  My secret?  I phase through the door, or the walls, whichever I come to first.

Phasing is something that the fastest of speedsters can do.  We vibrate all the atoms in our bodies, and this allows us to become out of phase with physical reality and to simply pass through walls and whatnot.  You must concentrate very carefully to do so, however.  One time, I took out Blinding Speed by startling him while he was phasing.  Fused that fucker right into the wall.  It was pretty gross, and I did feel bad about it.  Jackie was pissed about it for weeks.

Anyway, the alien boy scout, Platinum Man got in my way as I was about to get out of NYC.  Hovering there in front of me, arms crossed against his chest, a look of stern disapproval on his face.

“I’ll take that if you don’t mind, Runner.”

Such a self-righteous dick.

“Well,” I said.  “If it isn’t the protector of billionaires and corporations, come to oppress a member of the working class.”

That line looked like it bothered him just a little.  He held out his hand like I was going to just give him the processor.

“Well, that’s not going to work for me.”

“Then, I guess we’re going to have a problem, you and I,” the caped alien quipped.

“Wait,” I said.  “What’s the date?”

He looked confused.  “April 18?”

“2024?”

“yeah.”

I smiled under my mask.  “It’s a shame.  April 18, 2024 is remembered as the day Platinum Man was killed by an unknown speedster.”

That shook him.  It always gets them.  If people think you know what’s going to happen, they get exponentially more afraid of you.

“Look,” I said.  “I don’t want to kill you today.  I just want to go about my business, take this quantum processor, and leave your city.  Shit, let me go, and I’ll promise to never come back.  I hate this town anyway.”

“I can’t.”  He paused.  “I can’t just let you go.”

“How about if we made it look like you gave it your best?”  I offered.

The show we put on will be remembered for a longtime in New York City.  Classic, epic superhero versus supervillain battle.  And the good guy threw the whole thing.  Which is how I was able to beat an invincible, super-powered, flying, godlike alien who was also a fucking coward. 

Copyright 2019 Diana Hignutt