POLICE: Remains of King Robo accidentally exchanged at pawn shop.

Saint Century – In a press release issued this morning, Security Chief Irons finally admitted that King Robo's remains had been marked as “junk” and sent off with other seized evidence to be exchanged for credits and bonuses. Recall that King got crushed into a cube by Solar Flare during her public re-emergence. According to Chief Irons, the robot—left in the geometric shape—was mistaken for one of 20 media players seized in a raid of Southtown smugglers. Efforts are being made to track it down.

-crime.bleed.net

The Stargod was one of the premier drinking joints within “The Bubble,” a collection of human colonies, space stations, and Izanami. They were all primarily within 20,000 light-years of one another, give or take a few K. Saul Sackhoff opened the place about 20 years ago when his hauler crapped out on him mid-job. He decided to make some lemonade when forced to make an emergency landing on the planetoid HD5116, faced with a whole bunch of lemons. It took a bit of doing and credits, but he converted his ship into a bar while the cargo he was hauling at the time became his first batch of inventory.

There was a bit of luck involved in his success; HD5116 was right in the middle of a shipping lane, so he never had to do much advertising. These days all kinds stopped in, from the primmest soldier down to your typical thug pirate. Sometimes, even a celebrity would walk in.

Like today.

No one noticed her when she came in, but Saul knew that face anywhere. It didn’t matter that she was also the most famous person in the galaxy. To him, she would always be the young woman who sat at the end of the bar. Vodka straight up with one cube of ice, a bowl of those little pretzel sticks; that was her.

Corina Kyle used to habitually stop here after some nonsense or another before she became the galactically famous Lady Steel. She was twenty, practically a baby, with a galactic passport and a mean wanderlust. Her brother was the legendary Captain Steel, the self-proclaimed Greatest Hero In The Verse, a man who lived up to that moniker in more ways than one.

After he was beaten to death by the alien criminal known as Gray Grimm, she took up his works. In some ways, she has all but surpassed him. Objectively more popular by most metrics, a bonafide feminist icon, and known far and wide as a force for good, she was a living legend. Despite all that, she always found it hard to live up to such standards. Often she wished she was just back to her old life in places like this.

As she walked in, her eyes immediately scanned the area. The bar was packed. Close to everyone was sitting at the six tables scattered across the room. A few of the people she recognized from long-standing wanted postings, but she paid them no mind. She wasn’t here for that.

There was a card game that had drawn quite a crowd. Six to twelve patrons hovered over four others immersed in the spirit of competition. Despite that, she found it surprising that nobody looked at her when she walked in. Corina Kyle was close to seven feet tall with shock pink hair and built like a brick house; no one batted an eye. Then again, she wasn’t exactly dressed in her typical uniform, her public-facing outfit whenever she operated as Lady Steel.

She was in a gray flight suit, burgundy-colored leather jacket, and her hair was up in a messy bun. While not meant to be a disguise, it somehow worked as one. Or maybe that card game was just that good. The main bar was off in the corner of the establishment, her old friend Saul was back there as usual, and they locked eyes.

His face was weathered but kind. He had dull white hair and a trim graying beard. Wrapped around his torso was a dirty as hell apron littered with multitudes of grease stains. That didn’t much matter in a place like this; all the crud was part of his charm. She could tell he had recognized her when she walked in, so Corina offered a thin smile as she approached.

“Saul, long time.”

“Almost a decade at this point?” He replied, already in the middle of pouring out a shot of vodka for her. He had this stuff shipped directly from Izanami for his favorite customers. In his other hand was a bowl of pretzel sticks; he was nothing if not great at his job.

She took the liquor and swallowed it down effortlessly.

“6 years for sure, yeah.” She said before a large burp escaped her lips.

“You’ve hardly changed,” he said and shook his head.

“Yeah?” She sat down and indicated she would like another. “That’s actually refreshing to hear.”

Saul was finishing the latest pour when he asked: “So what brings you here? I’m-I’m sorry about your brother; I never got the chance to say.” She held up a hand and took the shot.

“I appreciate it. Actually, I’m supposed to meet a friend out here.”

“Here? Do tell.”

She asked for one more and nodded. “The name Solar Flare ring a bell to you?”

He poured and handed her the glass. “Is that a person like you?” He asked. “I never keep up with that crap.” Corina finished the shot quickly and grinned.

“Yeah, basically.”

She couldn’t blame him for not keeping up. The fact was that people like her—people with paranormal abilities—were celebrities to most people. Her brother had gotten the ball rolling on that front, and it has been an open floodgate ever since. Corina is what is known as an OverHuman, or OH for short. Most people of her type were pretty famous and revered, regardless of whether they saved or killed people. Saul offered her another, but she politely declined with a gesture.

“We planned to meet out here on her way back from Earth.”

“Earth? That old place? Isn’t that off-limits these days?”

Corina shrugged, “Not that I’m aware of, nothing official anyway.”

“Hm,” he said under his breath. “Still, why is your friend going there?”

“She was born there, always had a fascination with it.” Saul shook his head while he polished a glass pitcher.

“I’ve heard some bad things about that place,” he said.

“You and me both,” she sighed. “Is what it is.” Corina looked around the bar, wondering if she had missed her. “I figured she’d be here by now.”

“Well,” Saul said. “You sure you don’t want another while you wait?” Corina considered that.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Just give me a beer,” she said, and Saul obliged. The glass felt cold to the touch as she brought it to her lips. Corina put the half-finished glass down on the bar top and sniffed; something strange was in the air. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she was sure it was something she’d experienced before. A loud uproar brought her out of the thought; the card game.

“You cut that shit you-you think I don’t know what you are?”

Corina glanced up at Saul; he was too busy looking over her shoulder. He had a look about him that said this type of thing had happened before, and he hated it every time. Corina closed her eyes and tried to picture the entire table from when she had walked in. There were four men, all very unkempt with thick full beards except for one.

That one was wearing one of the best spacesuits that money could buy. It had a gray base color accentuated by bright red and blue armor pieces attached to both shoulders. There was a yellow heartbeat pulse symbol that gashed across the chest piece. The other three looked like Terran bikers who smelled as bad as they looked. The Stargod attracted all types, so the entire scene wasn’t as odd as it sounded.

“Don’t mince words; say what you mean to say.” That probably came from the one in the nice suit. The voice was youthful and had a tinge of contempt expected from teenagers. Corina shut her eyes and brought the bottle back to her lips; she had a bad feeling. One of the bikers spoke next:

“Yure a damn—,” and that feeling was in the air again. Gone as soon as it arrived, the biker wasn’t speaking anymore. Corina glanced up at Saul again. His mouth was wide open; his lip curled. He locked eyes with her.

She signed and finished the drink.

“You probably should leave,” She said when finished. She was hunched over the bar and glancing behind her as she spoke. Mr. Spacesuit stood up slowly, eyebrows scrunched.

“You,” he said. “You’re Lady Steel.”

She sighed again and nodded. “Mm Hm,” the sound passed through her tight lips like cool vapor.

“Person who killed you could be set for life.”

“They can try,” she said, and there it was again; that feeling. It was like someone running a feather over her arm hairs. Now she understood why it had felt so familiar; it wasn’t the first time she had dealt with someone like this.

The entire world had stopped around her. Saul was still staring at Corina; the crowd noise had utterly cut off. Slowly, she turned her head to the right, and there he was. Nose to nose, Mr. Spacesuit had a look of shock spread across his face faster than it took him to get there. His hand raised; the shock of seeing her gaze meeting his own had ended the time dilation effect he had been producing.

The noise had resumed once more.

“What??” He screamed, and it was a high-pitched wail. Corina smiled, pressed her middle finger to her thumb, and flicked his chest. The boy flew into the adjacent table. He hit the wall with a thud.

“I thought he knew me?” She asked no one. “They say I can do anything.”

Corina stood up from the bar and walked over to the fallen OH. She got down to a knee and lifted the boy’s chin; she didn’t recognize him. Definitely just a kid, probably flying under the radar, ripping off card games, and maybe little else. His age likely played a factor in the lack of infamy too.

She glanced over at the old card game. Two of the men still sat slacked-jawed, covered in blood, and staring at what remained of their partner. Corina could only whistle. She wondered how this boy was cheating exactly. Perhaps he was so bold that he simply stopped time, swapped cards, and then resumed as if nothing had happened. The dumb kid thought he could get away with it forever.

Corina shook her head; hubris got them all in the end.

“Should probably get the law out here,” she said behind her. She wasn’t sure whose colonial jurisdiction this place fell under, but it had to be someone. By the time she stood up, the entire bar had cleared out. Not surprising, considering she dared utter the “L-word.”

Corina moseyed back to the bar where Saul was on the COMMs getting the authorities. She reached across the top and searched for another beer. Not finding any, she held her head in her hand.

Roxanne, where the hell are you, girl?

An ear-piercing ring invaded her temporal lobes forcing her to drop to one knee.

“AHH! The hell-?” Her AUG, implanted in her brain, was going haywire. AUGs were personalized computing devices, allowing accessible communication with governing AIs and unfettered access to the Bleednet. The Bleednet was an information superhighway accessed via a connective membrane that existed in-between space. Supposedly to keep parallel universes from destroying one another—the so-called multiverse—The Bleed made much of the life most beings knew possible.

L-zzt-Lady Steel?

She recognized the voice. It belonged to Roxanne’s predecessor, now serving as her guide. Corina didn’t pretend she understood any of it. The voice echoed throughout her mind like microphone feedback. She gritted her teeth while her nose bled.

“What’s going on?!” She felt like she had to shout; she could barely hear Saul, who was freaking out beside her. “Where’s Roxanne??”

Zzt-I-bzzt-unsure.

“What does that mean?”

Roxa-zzt-exists in a state-bzzt-quantum flux.

“Okay, and what does that mean?”

She-zzt-in the real-bzz-the bleed.

“I don’t understand!”

She-zzt-help—bzzt—Uzrath.

And then it was gone. Corina’s head pounded. She tried to shake it off but only made it worse.

“You okay, kid?” Saul had asked as he helped her up. Corina pressed a knuckle to her nose and then examined it. It had been a while since she’d bled.

“Um-yeah,” she replied. “I-I think so. Thanks.”

“Here, let me get you a drink.” He said once she demonstrated that she could stand on her own. He went behind the bar and started checking its inventory; he wanted something substantial. He needed something with a real kick. Corina grabbed a knocked-over stool and placed it upright before sitting on it. This headache was relentless, but she couldn’t focus on that right now. What was that? What did he mean by “Quantum Flux?”

And just what the hell was an Uzrath?

“Hey Saul,” she asked as he presented her with a shot glass and an unlabeled bottle. She eyed it suspiciously. “…What is that?”

“Little something I created.” He beamed. “Go on, try it.”

She did. She found herself yearning for the headache.

“Holy hell,” she coughed. Saul seemed very pleased with himself. His face got very grim after that.

“So what was all that?”

“Hm?” She looked up. “Oh-uh, long story. Say, the word Uzrath mean anything to you?”

Saul scrunched his face up in a show of deep thought. After a second, he shrugged and said, “Can’t say it does.”

Corina cursed under her breath.

“Great,” she said while her shoulder sagged.

“Why, what’s up?”

Corina cocked an eyebrow at him. “My friend’s in trouble. I think,” she told him. “And that name is all I got.”

Saul scrunched his face again, and Corina found it kind of adorable. He was a sweet old man. She had missed talking with him; she needed to come here more often.

“You know what you need?” He asked her; she shook her head. “Mr. Galaxy Brain.” Again, she shook her head.

“Who’s that?”

Saul narrowed his eyes at her, “You’ve never heard of him?”

“Am I supposed to?”

Saul clucked his teeth. “Mr. Galaxy Brain is supposedly the smartest man in the verse,” he told her. “If you’ve got the credits, he’s got the answers.”

Corina pursed her lips. “I thought he was called The Broker?” She asked. Saul half scoffed-half blew a raspberry in her direction.

“That was probably five names ago.”

Corina laughed at that. “Where can I find him?” She asked.

“I know where he is.” It was the OH. Surprisingly awake. Corina slowly turned her head toward him. Honestly, she was surprised he hadn’t tried to escape.

“That a fact?” She asked him. He was still on the ground, leaning forward. He shrugged.

“I was earning money so I could meet with him,” he told her.

“For what?”

“That’s my business,” he spat. The boy took a second to re-compose himself. “I can take you to him, so long as you promise to take me with you.”

She scoffed, “Are you for real? You’re a murderer.”

“The guy wanted to out me. You, of all people, should know how dangerous that is for us.”

“You were using your powers to screw the man,” she started, but the boy held up a hand to stop her.

“You got me, and yeah, I got carried away. But,” and the boy stood up. Corina rolled her eyes and faced him. “You’ll notice I haven’t run away, and you’ll need my help. Finding the Galaxy Brain isn’t easy, especially when he doesn’t want to be found.”

Corina shut her eyes and turned back to face the bar. She opened them and glanced at Saul, who gave an imperceptible shrug. Corina sighed; there wasn’t much choice. Who knows if Roxanne could afford to wait while she tried to hunt down the most intelligent person in the universe?

“Fine,” she answered, finally. “What’s your name?”

“People call me The Running Man.”

Corina rolled her eyes. She hated her own nickname, much less anyone else’s.

“I’m not calling you that.”

“Sam’s fine,” he shrugged

“Okay, Sam, I’ll work with you. But you kill another person, and you’ve already seen your powers don’t work on me. We clear?”

“Crystal.”