Another day, another bank robbery in broad daylight.

Milly had heard it said once that the difference between people and animals was that an animal could learn from its own mistakes, but that people could learn from each other. Then what did that make the half a dozen crooks she was looking at right now inside the foyer of the Bulwark Bay Community Bank?

Animals with ski masks on, guns drawn, and hostages against one wall?

Given how far along they were, they must’ve been here a while already, but the silent alarm had only just been tripped. “Welp, you fellas look like you know your stuff,” Milly thought aloud as she zipped a small circle around one of the crooks.

It wasn’t as though anyone would hear her or be able to react at the speed she was going. Even if they had her warped perception of time, it would take them at least another quarter of a second to even begin willing their arms into motion to pull the trigger. She’d be long gone by then.

Conveniently, that also meant she didn’t have to worry about anyone identifying her by getting a good look. Even if they could, what use was there in describing a southern blond girl in America? Or for that matter, a generic white and black tracksuit with a big pair of reflective ski goggles? You could get that stuff anywhere.

Surveying the crooks, she noticed something off about the masked girl keeping watch by the inner door. She had the same dark clothes on, but unlike the others, she didn’t have a weapon and her build was small. Milly pulled the girl’s ski mask up to get a better look. She was tan and didn’t look much older than Milly, maybe fifteen? Milly was sure she’d not seen the girl before, she’d have remembered the cute freckles on her cheeks and across the bridge of her nose.

The girl looked tense, a little green around the gills as though she had a terrible case of stage fright. It made sense. The only reason a pretty girl like her would be here for all this, especially that young, would be if she was Superpowered. Crooks didn’t give two licks about dragging a kid down with them if it upped their odds, if anything, it was a bonus. It was a lot easier to spring someone from juvie than supermax.

Milly sighed and pulled the mask all the way off and tossed it in the air behind her where it seemed to slow to a crawl the moment it left her grasp.

Powered individuals were nothing new. The world was full of superheroes and villains, and new ones popped up all the time. Probably a newbie like her had been brought along as ‘muscle’ for the robbery in case any heroes showed up.

It was a decent plan. Distract the heroes with a big flashy fight while the crooks go out the back door with the goods on the promise of bailing out the newcomer. It probably would’ve worked too if the hero first on the scene had been anyone other than her.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The Millisecond, the fastest hero alive.

Most of her fights took exactly that long. And even then only because the stopwatches didn’t count in smaller increments than that.

“Sorry.” Milly looked the nervous wannabe villain in the eyes as she brushed a sweaty strand of red hair behind the girl’s ear. “No big flashy fight for us. But hey, reckon you’ll have better luck next time, I certainly won’t.”

Milly sighed. “Enjoy it on my behalf, will ya?”

As her finger briefly brushed the girl’s ear, her attention was drawn to the silvery star stud decorating her earlobe. It looked nice, but she couldn’t help but feel a little pang at the thought that she’d missed out on any chance of getting one herself. She’d already chickened out of getting her ears pierced once and that was before the ‘split-second’ would last an eternity.

She met the girl’s eyes and—Wait! She was looking at her!?

Startled, Milly stepped back. Shock, fear, and excitement coursed through her all at once for but a moment, until she noticed the girl was every bit as unmoving as before. Had she just always been looking her in the eye? Milly glanced over her shoulder. The door was behind her. That made sense… but maybe…

Milly took a slight, hopeful step to the left, but her heart sank into her boots when the eyes didn’t follow her at all, remaining as fixed as everything else in her world.

Hopes thoroughly dashed, Milly opted to move on.

For now, she’d walk away and continue her sweep through the building, a couple more crooks further in. They’d just finished cracking the safe door. “Ah, that’d be what tripped the alarm then…”

Alright, eight in total. She could take care of that easily enough.

Maybe she should wait? It wasn’t as if any of the hostages were in any danger while she was here. It might be fun to give another hero a chance to show up and give the new girl a fun first heist fight.

Ah, which reminded her. Milly snatched the mask out of midair and slipped it over the girl’s head again. After taking a moment to make sure it was on properly, Milly plopped down in one of the comfy chairs near the till and rested her feet on another.

She waited.

Now that she was staying in one place, it took about a minute of ‘Milly Time’ before the first couple of crooks took notice of her. Several more before they’d managed to aim their guns.

“If you pull the trigger, I’m gonna have to get up,” Milly warned with a groan. She didn’t want to have to do that, but she also knew that at her speed the warning was as impossible to understand as anything else she’d said, it would barely even register as a blip.

That was probably the thing she hated most about her powers. The lack of witty banter. She had all the time in the world to come up with good lines, and nobody would ever hear them. She’d considered flashcards, but that just wasn’t the same.

The muzzles flashed silently. The bullets would get to Milly well before the sound would.

With another exasperated groan, Milly popped out of the chair just in time to avoid getting hit. The bullets were fast enough that she had to pay attention, akin to someone running in her own time frame. Dangerous if she got hit, true, but the gunmen couldn’t adjust their aim mid-flight. All she had to do was avoid the unchanging path of the bullet being run at her. It was as boring as anything else.

Weaving between the hail of bullets, she approached the nearest crook at what felt like a normal walking pace to her. The man’s eyes were still on the empty chair she’d long since left behind.

So boring.

As one more bullet floated past her cheek, she found her thoughts drifting back to when life had been so much more exciting. The beginning of the school year.

Her first day at Arkwright Academy.