Chronicle 62

“Trevor, coordinates.” HardStop demanded, waiting far too long for some tracking of the military who nabbed his nemesis.

“It’s going to take more than an hour to find your convoy. They’re not exactly advertising their location.”

The pair worked at a desk at the empty library. This late, the light from the computer illuminated the only section that wasn’t pitch black.

“You find those coordinates in the next five minutes and I’ll tell you your sidekick name.”

Trevor made eye contact, eyebrows raised. Back to typing at a quickened pace.

“Better.”

HardStop reflected deeper on those moments with the speedster. It clearly was asking for help. As if stuck. Speed like that is freeing if anything.

“Unless you can’t turn it off.” Trevor said without turning.

“What?”

“Oh you didn’t know you were thinking out loud again. My bad.”

“I don’t -. No. You’re right Trevor. Maybe they can’t slow down. Fix that, stop the speedster.” HardStop postulated. His fingers flipped through a book from the shelf behind..

“We should call him ‘NoStop’.” Trevor suggested.

“That’s bad.” HardStop shut him down, pushing the book back into place. “But ‘NonStop’... that’s a nemesis name.”

“Oooooh.”

“More typing.”

“No need.” Trevor moved aside and a map appeared on the screen. A green dot followed a target westward, out of Big City.

“Nice work, Trev Man.”

Trevor palmed his face and HardStop flew off with every intention of freeing the very enemy for whom he acquired his power.

 

Hardstop’s mode of flight was different to most heroes. He froze the motion of particles around him and shoved off of them to accelerate. It took much practice when he first learned to hone his abilities, but it was as seamless as any flight as he chased down the military operation stealing NonStop. Speed was determined by the area of particles he was affecting. The greater the area, the higher force he could exert to push off from.

A black helicopter came into view. Mooing. They were the big dog in the aerospace industry internationally. Some bad apples at the top. HardStop realized this wasn’t entirely a governmental operation. Underneath was the crate holding NonStop, dangling freely. One would think to secure it from outside influence.

Just outside of Big City, HardStop got ahead of the helicopter and his arm flashed red. The helicopter froze in midair, the ropes suspended below and the crate back a ways, waiting patiently. Inside, however, there was motion. More than before. HardStop was focusing on everything else, knowing he couldn’t stop NonStop.

“That’s why I call him that.” HardStop thought aloud, flying along in between the heli and the crate.

He searched for a way to free the crate, but he didn’t bring any tools to release the ropes. Acting on the first idea to come to mind, he allowed motion locally around a single rope and began to rub the edge of his torso against it. After a while with no effect, he stopped. It began to get difficult to keep everything still, so he released his hold.

The helicopter resumed flying, as did the crate trailing behind. How it moved out of sync with the heli gave HardStop an idea. He could see the pilots looking back at him from the side of the cockpit. As they peeked in panic, he stopped everything again.

Carefully, HardStop allowed the helicopter to move, keeping the area around the crate motionless. There was a loud sequence of snaps. It worked! The ropes were pulled by the helicopter, but the lower portions where they were held in place couldn’t be moved. They detached somewhere in the middle, leaving the crate floating with little bits of rope reaching for their other halves.

HardStop’s arm went yellow and he guided the crate down from midair. The helicopter went a good distance and then began to circle back. Not only that, but it was joined by two more Mooing black choppers.

“You better be worth the trouble.” HardStop thought aloud. “Trevor’s right. I do this a lot.”

The crate with NonStop buzzing inside was placed gently on some farmland on the outskirts of Big City. HardStop’s light turned green and he prepared to go deal with the incoming combatants. Hovering in the air above the crate, he heard footsteps over grass. Below was a face he could never forget. A villain so heinous that even his matter with NonStop had to wait. Something was off about him, he looked different. But there was no mistaking it. It was the infamous low-life, Bat Buffet.

HardStop lowered to the ground and said his peace. “I should have never let you live.”

“HardStop. I’ve changed.”

“And what about the lives you’ve taken? Have they changed?” HardStop asked, flying forward quickly.

“Wait! Wait!”

Before reaching Bat Buffet, who was not transforming for battle as expected, something came between them.

“Please.” A robotic voice came from a large, hairy beast.

“What is this?” HardStop backed up slightly.

“He is good.” the voice stated.

HardStop’s confusion was overwhelming. From behind, the helicopters grew near. In front, a villain and a stranger asking for his mercy. He needed a moment. The light on his arm went yellow for a moment, then red. As far as he could see, everything stopped. Everything but NonStop.

He walked around the beast, admiring the rotors and the weapons protruding from it. Then he saw it. On the back of the motor on its back, nearly faded and scratched out, HardStop could make out the word ‘Mooing’. This creature was with them.

A yellow light allowed him to get some distance from the beast and Bat Buffet. As green hit, he spoke. “Changed. Working with them I see. You just went from evil to evil.”

“You don’t understand.” the robotic voice from the beast came.

HardStop held the particles around them, trapping them in place. Air stopped flowing into the paused zone. They weren’t stopped within, but they weren’t able to move beyond wriggling.  Bat Buffet was desperately in need of a breath, as was the beast.

“Don’t!” Bat Buffet gasped.HardStop felt a strike on the back of his head before everything went black.