Chronicle 57
One hand around the throat of the most powerful man in Big City, Dark Duperman was prepared to handle the Duperman problem on his first day of existence. Charles Masters squirmed and struggled to remove three girthy fingers and a thumb from around his neck, but he was a man of wit, not of force. Even with ten times the strength, he wouldn’t be free of the grasp of the Duperverse’s cheat code. He was no more than an insect being played with.
“I can give you anything you desire.” Charles choked.
“Okay.” Dark Duperman relaxed his grip and lowered the trillionaire to the floor of the enormous penthouse.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to cooperate.” Charles had a hint of regret in his voice. He took from his pocket a small device with a button on it and a red light blinking faster and faster.
“I don’t understand.” Dark Duperman said. After a few moments, everything began to fade to black. “Oh.” Charles was gone, the lavish penthouse vanished. Around him were only creatures of pure blackness. Their energy was aggressive, though they were hesitant to attack him, instead rearing back to jump and then simply backing away.
A voice he knew to be coming from a smirked mouth whispered, screamed and cried all at once. “You’ve been referred to as the Dark version of our Duperman.”
“I just got here.”
“You’re right! Time is a little strange in here. Twisted.”
“So he controls you.”
The darkness grew sharp edges, the creatures enraged. They leapt at Dark Duperman as the voice returned louder. “THERE SHALL BE A RECKONING FOR THAT MORTAL.”
Dark Duperman swatted away the darkness and its pests without thought. “So who are you?”
“Penance.” the deity of darkness materialized before him.
“Just a man.” Dark Duperman reached a hand out to grab the head of the unholy.
“HA!” Penance allowed the hand to touch him. He then faded backwards into the surrounding darkness. Dark Duperman’s hand felt strange. It felt as if it was decaying, rotting down to the bone.
“I have to get back.” he said.
“What?” Penance asked.
Dark Duperman ignored the sensation, convincing as it was, and pressed the sides of his thumbs together. Between his palms, a ball of pure universal destruction formed and grew. He allowed it to grow enough to consume him, to cover the entire realm of darkness. It was maintained until he sensed it began to affect Penance. He released it in the direction of the deity with a swift motion.
“Fine.” Penance chuckled as the light of reality drowned out his domain.
“There he is.” Charles sat nursing a glass of something in a tall, ornate chair. “Two minutes is not atrocious, considering no others have ever come back.”
“You said you could give me anything.”
Charles laughed and flashed his button again. “People petition me for so many things. It really never ends when they think you have everything. Which I don’t. Not yet.” he finished his drink and stood up to face the red giant. “What is it that something like you could even want.”
“I want Duperman.”
Charles fell completely silent.
“Is this not in your power?”
Charles’s eyes were stuck in one position until he snapped out of it and his face hardened. “Not alone. Together, we can eliminate him.”
“Are you certain?”
“I’ve been working on it for years now, gargantuan.” Charles poured himself another drink. “Ultimately, I’ve been waiting for something that could defeat Duperman. I’ve developed technologies to overcome his strengths and had no success. For that reason, I befriended the oaf and gained his trust. But it’s taking too long.”
“And now?”
“Now we act.”
“What’s the first move.”
“Let’s have you and him meet.”
“Point me in the right direction.”
“You ever heard of the Muong Calzone?”
