Before heading to Staress, Leland took full advantage of the time freeze.

He slept.

It wasn’t his first action though. Initially, he briskly walked down the hallway, but after passing the fourth frozen human, he had a beautiful thought… There was no rush. He had all the time in the world. Literally. And it wasn’t a delusional thought to trick him into not stressing too much about all the assignments he had to do, no, no, no. It was the truth, so he rotated one hundred and eighty degrees, strolled back into the library, and dozed off.

With a smile and the vague remnants of a pleasant dream, Leland stretched both arms, standing up only to sit back down again. “H-h-omework. M-might as well.” He caught up on all of his academic responsibilities and after practising some unrefined, goofy dance moves, he walked towards the school gate where Staress stood in a glamorous pose, showing up the peace sign. Her chin was raised, and she gazed confidently into the distance as if she was the star of the show… which she was. A few fans across the street pointed at her, eyes filled with amazement. Even people in their frozen cars gazed at her.

He stared at her natural beauty for a few seconds, mesmerised, before shaking his head. Focus, Leland.

Obviously, unfreezing time would kill them all, so there was no room for mistakes. He raised his hand to tap her on the forehead before stopping himself.

“N-nope. She said not to.”

To much greater ease, he was able to trigger the tingling sensation once more, but just like the other two instances, the window of opportunity to use the ability was small. He felt the mighty power fading away as soon as it appeared.

“Free subject from time stop,” he commanded.

Staress’ frozen smile disappeared. “Ow.” she massaged her jaw. “You took a nap didn’t you?”

Leland looked away. “I stopped the w-world from… b-blowing up. I deserved a break. D-don't judge me.”

“I’m not. Honestly, I would have taken my sweet time too. You have a crazy power.”

“Y-you know something? I feel like it’s a bit too much.”

“Overpowered you mean?”

“Y-yes! E-e-exactly. I’ve frozen time yet there doesn’t seem to be any drawbacks. I’m p-p-practically…”

Leland’s vision doubled. Agonising pain pulsated around his body, which was accompanied by a disgustingly sharp headache.

“Never m-mind,” he said before fainting.

----------------------------------------

Periodically, a sharp pain spiked in Leland’s head. He opened his eyes. Was it a headache?

*THUD* “Ow.”

*THUD* “Ow.”

*THUD* “Ow.”

By the third impact, he understood what was happening. Somehow. He was repeatedly slamming against the roof of a car and, for some reason, the car was flying. Loud music blasted out of the vehicle. He knew the song, instantly recognising the chorus. It was Humble by Kendrick Lamar.

“Staress! H-help me. Stop the—oof”

“W-why is this happening to— oof”

Leland fell into a seat, this time gravity not throwing him back up.

There was an awkward silence.

“My bad,” Staress said melodically. “I got bored and did some tricks. In my defence, you should have put on your seatbelt.”

Leland pulled a shocked expression, eyes wide as the moon, and tilted his head a full fifteen degrees. “Bitch, I was unconscious! You k-knew that!”

“Hold up. That’s not how to talk to your favourite artist. Calm down.”

“No!” Leland yelled, red in the face. “I-i-I did what you fucking said! I-I froze time and freed you and this is h-how you treat me?” He breathed heavily, rubbing his sore scalp.

Staress turned around and frowned. She gently rubbed his right shoulder with a hand. “I’m sorry, Lee, but look! We’re in a flying Mercedes-Benz GLE outside the existence of time. That’s cool, right? ”

Leland put on his seatbelt, relaxed by the tone of her voice, which annoyed him because he didn’t want to feel that way. “Whatever.”

“And be careful what you say,” Staress said sweetly, glaring at him through the rear view mirror. “Otherwise, I might have to slap the taste out of your mouth. Do I make myself clear?”

Leland saw a twinkle in her eyes that reminded him of his Grandad and nodded twice. She wasn’t playing around. He looked down through the car window at London’s cityscape with a blank expression. “Why is the car flying?”

“I upgraded it.”

“When?”

“While you were sleeping.”

“You can do that?”

“Evidently so.”

“How?”

“I knew how. That’s how.”

Leland didn’t reply for a while. His body still ached and he still felt tired. “Are you a psychic? Is that your superpower?”

“No. Don’t lump me in with those goofballs. I just know stuff I shouldn’t.”

“W-what kind of stuff do you know?”

“All of the internet up until February 24, 2023, fragments of the future, a few hundred timelines, random stuff, the odd forgotten story and…”

Leland watched Staress stare at the blue sky ahead of her, waiting for the sentence to finish, but she only gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“A-and?”

“How to save the world from a laser beam!” Staress exclaimed cheerfully. “You won’t have to worry anymore. We’re going to visit a real superhero with actual experience.”

A familiar child-like buzz of excitement sent chills down Leland’s spine. There was only one person in the world who met that criteria.

“You d-don’t mean?”

“Yes, I do mean!”

Staress turned around and the two shared a gleeful, knowing expression.

“Did you see his documentary?” Staress asked.

“Y-yeah! W-what a story. You’d think it was f-fiction.”

----------------------------------------

“If I remember correctly, this is the right one."

Staress jingled a key to the metal door of a maximum security prison cell while Leland smiled behind her, rubbing his palms together. The chance to meet the man face-to-face still felt surreal.

But unfortunately, as the prison cell door creaked open, Leland’s face fell. Psyche the Superhero sat on the edge of a bed, quickly tossing a comic book into a glowing, purple portal. He sheepishly looked at the floor and folded his arms. “I wasn’t reading Berserk Volume 4. You saw nothing.”

The retired vigilante was lanky with sunken cheeks and bags under his eyes. He wore an orange jumpsuit and his neutral face seemed to have a permanent subtle smirk as if he’d just remembered something funny.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

“Not what you were expecting, kid? Sorry to disappoint you.”

“N-no! It’s just y-you were always in a super suit. On TV, on the internet, a-and even in your court trial. It’s o-odd seeing you look so…”

“Human?” Psyche finished. He laughed loudly. “Paloma, I like this guy.”

Leland blushed, though his shock was logical. Psyche was supposed to be the real deal, the first and only well-known superpowered vigilante. With his portal ability, he bounced from city to city wearing an iconic black super suit and a chilling smiling mask. Word crime rates had even plummeted by 50% during the last year of his career.

Somehow, he prevented the most violent crimes and never seemed to sleep. If it wasn’t for the countless video evidence, one would think his existence was a legend.

Whenever the world needed to be saved, Psyche showed up until one day he turned himself in to the authorities. Since the beginning of his career, it was known that he had a dark past involving a double homicide.

So he was given a life sentence and willingly stayed incarcerated.

“Stand up you lazy bum,” Staress snapped. “You’ve got work to do.”

“Make better music,” Psyche snapped back.

Leland brought a hand to his mouth but Staress didn’t react. Was this normal behaviour for them? Suddenly, he realised the obvious. “H-how come you’re not frozen?”

“Let a man have his secrets, kid. Now unfreeze time so I can finish off my sentence and die.”

“We can’t d-do that.”

Staress quickly explained the situation. Psyche laughed once again in response.

“Typical, typical,” he mumbled. “Procrastinating Paloma does it again.”

“W-what do you mean, Psyche?” Leland asked.

“Call me Cadell. I’m not that guy anymore. What’s your name?”

“L-leland.”

“Well, my good friend Leland, do you remember that one person who refuses to do the homework and always asks other people for help on the day the homework is supposed to be handed in?” Cadell pointed at Staress. “That’s who she is! Don’t you think it’s weird how she knew all of this was happening and yet she called you on the day of the attack?”

Leland frowned, nodding slowly. “N-now that you mention it, that is kind of w-w-eird.”

“She could have prevented it, but chose not to. She has the capabilities, but refuses to take action until the last minute. Personally, I think we shouldn’t bow to her conniving ways.”

Staress scoffed. “That’s absolutely—”

“Correct.” Cadell stood up, and Leland almost took a step back as the tall man towered over the both of them, exuding a commanding presence. “She has many helpers. Servants in her debt. She asked for your help, but if she didn’t wait until now I bet she could have called hundreds of others to assist her. Quite frankly, it’s pitiful, don’t you think? With the crucial knowledge that she has, don’t you think it’s her duty and responsibility to inform the world of such dangers ahead of time instead of relying on an inexperienced, innocent student like yourself?”

Leland thought for a moment. He slowly turned to Staress, narrowing his eyes.

Staress didn’t return the stare. Instead, she looked at Cadell, hands on her hips.

“You’ve been waiting to cook up such an argument, haven’t you?”

“Naturally.”

“Don’t listen to him, Lee.”

“I-I’ve already l-listened to him.”

“He’s already listened,” Cadell echoed, grinning.

“The threat isn’t something humanity can handle alone,” Staress argued. “Trust me. If there was someone else out there that could solve this problem, I would have found them.”

“I-I-I don’t believe you,” Leland replied flatly. “but I’m glad you reached out. You… h-helped save my friend, so I guess I don’t mind. Let’s just get this over and done with. I have a maths exam tomorrow.”

Cadell shook his head. “You don’t understand, rookie. She can’t keep getting away with this. Now that she’s plucked you out of normality, who do you think she’s going to call when she needs someone to solve shit last minute? She’s going to take advantage of your powers and use you like a puppet.”

“Pathetic,” Staress said calmly. “Your attempt at assassinating my character is futile. The boy knows better. He’s an adorable and loyal fan.”

Not knowing what to say, and not wanting to enter the conflict, Leland remained silent.

“You’ve bothered him enough. Even without your puppets, you can handle it yourself. We both know it. Leave us alone.”

“Listen, Cad, all I need you to do is create one portal big enough to defend against the attack. I can’t stop a fucking laser beam from destroying the earth. You can eliminate the problem now and then we can all go home.”

“All I need you to do, all I need you to do, all I need you to do. Do you know how many times I’ve heard that? It’s never that simple.”

Leland yawned. The plan sounded pretty simple to him but, again, he remained silent. As the two bickered on, he couldn’t help but dwell on his stutter, particularly how he’d introduced himself to Cadell. It had always been a challenge to say his name without stammering and today had been no different.

Another failure. Another loss. How embarrassing.

It was a long one too. The three seconds felt like five minutes. In his spare time, he needed to initiate a new speaking regime using his superpowers. They were his only hope.

“Don’t lecture me on responsibility you lazy ass!” Staress yelled. “You’re the one who doesn’t fight crime anymore!”

“Because I’m a dangerous criminal who needs to be put behind bars! Haven’t you seen my shitty documentary?”

“Haven’t you heard of the Suicide Squad? Prisoners can fight crime too! We can implant a nanite explosive in your neck to ensure compliance if that’s what you want.”

“You’d love that wouldn’t you.”

“Yes, I would.”

A squelch sounded, and Leland frowned. His right leg seemed to be itchy. He looked down and yelped.

“Guys! Um, w-what is that?”

A small crimson, sparkling blob latched onto Leland’s shin. Periodically, the thing expanded and condensed.

“It’s a Zapen,” Staress said, still glaring at Cadell. “They’re entities that appear in the universe when the rules of reality are breached. As you’re the cause, it’s going to eliminate you from existence unless a certain someone saves the day.”

“So this is what you were waiting for?” Cadell asked. “I should have known.”

Staress stuck her tongue out. “Do your job, vigilante.”

Leland stared at the blob with curiosity. It looked cute and wasn’t causing him any pain until without warning, his right leg disappeared. He screamed, hopping about the prison cell in a small circle. “M-my l-leg!”

“That reminds me of Spongebob,” Staress commented. “You know that one fish who’s always like ‘My leg!’

Cadell’s lip quivered. The two shared a laugh.

“H-help!”

“How big does the portal need to be?” Cadell asked.

“190 miles in radius should do,” Staress replied. “Make it invisible too. We don’t want to make it too obvious.”

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I’m dead serious.”

Leland’s left leg disappeared. He crashed onto the cold prison cell floor. “H-hurry!” he bellowed.

Cadell fetched a pair of gloves from inside a portal, and then retrieved a space helmet and a space suit.

“W-what are you doing? Hurry up!”

“Calm down. I can’t save you if I’m dead.”

“M-my arm! That’s it. I’m unfreezing time.”

“No,” Staress said sternly. “Wait until my command or we’re all dead.”

For what felt like an eternity, Leland watched Cadell fiddle with the spacesuit and stagger about as the crimson blob hopped onto his torso. The tiny thing was no longer cute. It was death personified.

“Aw man,” Cadell said. “I haven’t created a portal this big in ages. I’ll have to get to space first. This is going to be tough.”

“Well, we had a good run,” Staress said. “I had a great life. Few regrets to be found.”

Leland smacked his head against the floor repeatedly, rolling left and right. “H-hurry up you w-washed up, useless superhero! Do you hear me? I said hurry the fuck up! I can’t…b-believe we’re going to die like this! I will never forgive you if… e-everyone dies like this. I will visit hell and… h-haunt you if this is how I die, you son of a bitch!”

Leland's torso and his other arm vanished. Now just a measly head, he closed his eyes, frustration and rage deep in his non-existent heart.

“He’s ready,” Staress said.

“Unfreeze time!” Leland shrieked.

His body suddenly reappeared. Seconds later, Cadell helped him to his feet.

“I…” Leland’s face heated. “I’m sorry for w-what I said. I didn’t mean it.”

“No need to apologise,” Cadell said. He pointed at a portal. “Leave before the guards come. Do you like chocolate cake?”

“Um, y-yeah… I guess so. Why do you ask?”

Cadell smiled, taking off the space helmet. “You’ll find out.”

----------------------------------------

Staress drove Leland back home. Most of the car ride was silent and throughout the journey, Leland mustered up the courage to ask a certain question. He stared out the window without really absorbing what was outside— the world was a blur with people and cars passing by in a hazy, indistinguishable mess.

“This is over, right?” Leland asked. “You’re not going to contact me again unless it’s VIP tickets to a concert?”

Staress glanced at him, inflating both cheeks in a somehow endearing way. “What transpired today would be a typical climax to a story. Three individuals stop the earth from blowing up into smithereens. High stakes, tension, conflict, all the juicy stuff is there. But, unfortunately, little Lee, this is only the beginning. By successfully repelling the attack, we’ve opened up a can of worms that will draw eyes throughout the universe.”

Leland’s heart lurched. “I h-had a feeling.”

“We’re supposed to be insignificant ants— it’s why this planet has survived so long— but time-freezing and invisible portals the size of a black hole tend to raise eyebrows. We’re on the map now.”

“Are we screwed?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know.” The car came to a halt. “We’re here. Have a lovely evening.”

“Y-you too, Staress.”

“Call me Paloma. That’s my name.”

Leland nodded, the fanboy inside him squealing. He couldn’t imagine himself calling her by her real name but managed to stutter out a quiet, “O-o-kay.”

“Assuming we’re still alive, you’ll have backstage passes for every show of my next tour. That’s a promise.”

Leland nodded again, smiling. He got out of the car and walked to his house.

“Oh, wait, one more thing!” Staress yelled, sticking her head out of the window.

“What?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. “Never mind.”

Leland shrugged.

He took four steps before a chocolate cake unexpectedly flew out of a portal straight into his face, creating a loud splat sound upon impact. Staress drove off, cackling. Leland froze, completely stunned. He remembered Cadell’s words.

“You don’t need to apologise… Do you like chocolate cake?”

He wiped a chunk of the cake off his cheek and ate it. It tasted delicious.

“F-fair enough. I deserved that. ”