This an idea that came to me over the last couple of days so I wrote it out in one go this morning. I hope you like it!
Zit (a short timetravel superhero story)
- Thread starter Hotdog Vendor
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The Story
Hotdog Vendor
Author of 'Sisters of Rail'
- Location
- (5 + 3 * sqrt(5)) / 8
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Superzition jogged to a specific point along the perimeter around the ballroom ~ and didn't.
Superzition jogged to another point along the perimeter around the ballroom ~ and didn't.
Superzition jogged to each point forming a perimeter of his possible self around the ballroom.
"I'm in position. All clear," each of him radioed.
Back at Superteam Lambda's HQ, a quantum receiver detected that all versions of the message were in accord and the signal strengths were even, within tolerance.
~
Five seconds ago, a Superzition tripped over a foot, reinforced sensible tennis shoe unexpectedly striking an outrageously sparkling 6-inch heel.
~
Five and a half seconds ago, three of Superzition's gloved fists struck out at likely locations. One struck ~ no one appeared.
"Show yourself!" some of Superzition called as he spread out around the zone he was tasked with protecting. ~ "Potential hostile presence," others radioed back to HQ.
"Boop!" A finger lightly tapped the back of each Superzition's hooded head.
~
Superzition spun around, fists raised, ready to strike his assailant before she had a ch~ Superzition spun around, to see her waiting for him, just out of reach. His eyes snapped to the teasing smile of her hot pink lips ~ to her perfect braids of dark brown hair ~ to her impeccable eye shadow ~ to those precarious heels which had to be torturing her feet ~ To the shifting sea of stars that was her tight black dress, so tight, clinging to every curve ~ to those exposed powerful legs, and the perfect thighs only partly covered by the very short dress ~ to her riveting gaze, which he could never tell was cold or warm.
"Zit. We meet, again ~ again ~ again ~ again..." she said, the final word intentionally out of sync with itself.
"Don't do that," he said, shaking his head, annoyed.
"Don't do what, call you Zit ~ talk like that?" she asked and asked.
"Both. You know I hate it."
"You hate a lot of things. Like freedom." With birdlike head-tilts, each of her indicated the ballroom with her chin.
He was ~ wasn't distracted by her cheekbones for a moment. "Freedom doesn't mean you should kill people."
"I will kill them for freedom. Freedom from them."
He shook his head. "You can't k~
"I can," she said.
"Hey, at least let me start speaking before you inter~
"I have no reason to be polite to you, Zit. You're in my way." This time there was no doubt that her expression was only cold.
"Superzition. It's my name, use it." He tried projecting authority that he didn't really feel.
"It's a stupid name chosen by the stupid 'superteam' you insist on hanging out with. You deserve so much better."
"Oh now you think I deserve bet~
"I've thought that for as long as I've known you, Zit. That doesn't preclude me from being ru~
"It's Superzition!" he preempted.
She shrugged, a dainty shrug from strong shoulders. "If you insist, Superzition. But only if you use my name."
"I'm not calling you the Lieutenant of Time! You're a villain, not an officer, and time doesn't have ranks!" he protested.
"Oh but it does, and I clearly outrank you. But I don't mind if you call me LT."
"LT. You really still think you're better than me, don't you?"
"And I always will be, Superzition. That's as inevitable as time itsel~
Twenty seconds ago, a tennis shoe struck out at the back of a knee.
~
"Oh, nice try there Superzition. Was that a full twenty seconds back?" LT taunted from just out of reach. "There might be hope for you yet.
~
Twenty-five seconds ago, a net launched from a concealed device on the superhero's arm. His nemesis deftly sliced through every version of it with a concealed butterfly knife.
"Be prepared," she said, and winked.
"How d~
LT made a break for the ballroom.
~
Superzition stood in her way.
"I'll always find a way around you. You can't stop me forever, boy."
Superzition flinched ~ fired back a biting retort ~ said nothing.
"Sorry, that was mean and I was only aiming for rude. I'll try not to remark on your ~ remark on your age, you can't help being ~ help being younger than me. It's only a matter of time."
"Please don't don't do the out of sync thing, that gives me a headache," Superzition said, rubbing his temples.
"It wasn't intentional this time, and I'd say I'd try to do better but really, you're the one who should learn to cope with it if you ever want to get on my level. ~ Actually no, you should learn to jump around it, there's no gain from pushing through the pain. That's the wrong approach."
"Great, got any more tips on beating you before we begin the fight in earnest?"
"Beating me? Ha! Nothing I tell you will ever help you beat me."
Superzition rolled his eyes. "You really think that just because you can jump back a little further than me, you'll always be able to outmaneuver me? Sorry, babe, but you're never getting into that ballroom. I'll stop you every t~
"Wanna bet?" LT whipped a phone out of her handbag and held a thumb close to the screen. "I already planted a bo~
Two seconds ago, LT's handbag fell to the ground, strap cut.
~
Five seconds ago LT held her thumb close to the phone screen.
~
Ten seconds ago, LT's phone was broken pieces scattered through the grass. She shrugged. "It was a deadman switch."
"I know," Superzition said, grinning. "I already cloned the signal."
LT lunged for him.
~
Dozens of iterations of a scuffle later/earlier, LT held a different phone in her hand, this one Superzition's. "Looks like I win."
The phone detonated, instantly kil~
Two seconds ago, LT flung the phone as hard as she could towards the ballroom. It hit the grand marble staircase and expl~ shattered into scrap.
"Your team should really be using the ruggedized model," she taunted.
"Yours broke just as easily," Superzition said, shrugging.
"Where do you think I lifted it from? That was your girlf~
"Poptart isn't my girlfriend! ~ Poptart isn't my girlfriend," he stated calmly.
"Did she ever tell you who she left y~
"We're not having this conversation. Have you noticed yet that your bomb hasn't gone off?"
LT shrugged. "Not the one you know abou..."
The ballroom exploded, killing 247.
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 246.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The ballroom exploded, killing 239.
"Congratulations, you saved eight waitstaff. No, really, I'm happy for you. You can probably save a couple more, but you can't thread many more parallel timestreams in and out of the doors in the short time you have."
~ ~ ~
The ballroom exploded, killing 236.
"Eleven, not bad! And I notice you've only gone for the waitstaff. That's good. If you try for any of the guests, I'm going to have to intervene. Please don't make me intervene. That would get messy."
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 235.
"They're closer to the door ~ I'm getting faster ~ and stronger ~ I can do this ~ can save them ~ don't you dare."
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 229.
"If you had any hope of succeeding here, the ballroom never would have exploded. Yes, the whole ballroom is the bomb. There's nothing you can do to stop that. It's over, Superzition."
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 228.
"You can ~ You could ~ There's still time ~ for you to undo all this."
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 224.
"Me? Ha! Why would I? I went to a lot of trouble to make those billionaires dead and I can and will ensure they stay that way."
~
Superzition once again took a dive back through the realm of possibilities. He retraced his steps through a frustratingly finite number of moments, this time with an extra jump to the left. As he returned to forward motion through the tangled timestream he could see several of himself grabbing people in well-pressed black and white uniforms, and pulling them away from their jobs serving food and drinks, out the door to safety.
He grabbed at the nearest man who didn't already have a Superzition attending. This one was dressed differently. Much more understated, yet far more luxurious. This man was money. One of LT's intended targets, marked for death. Superzition didn't care. He would save every single person he could, no less, no excuses.
There wasn't much time. There wasn't much room. Superzition could only move so fast.
But no. Time was a limit that could be bent. The remaining second were running out, but he could make them run out slower. He simply had to make a few adjustments to the temporal flow around himself and his rescuee.
"Time through my body. My body through time. Time through my body. My body through time." The mantra kept his senses on the stream as it moved around him and through him, as he moved through it and around it, trying not to space out on the sensation.
Forces tried to tug him back, his passenger creating extra drag. Superzition could see the inevitable wear of years on the older man's body.
Someday;
The void called. He tripped on an unseen knot in time.
The ballroom exploded, killing 225.
Blackness hit.
~
"Looks like I didn't need to intervene after all," LT said, shrugging as before. Or was that later?
"Wha?"
"Looks like a you tried pulling out one too many people and didn't make it out. Did your head in a bit."
"Owwww."
"I recommend you stay in one place at one time for a while until your synapses settle in. You'll thank me later."
"I'll never thank you. Villain," Superzition growled.
LT winked back. "Never say never."
"Never."
LT stuck her tongue out.
Superzition was fascinated ~ ignored this. "Yeouch!"
"Heh. Like I said, you should give yourself a rest. Alright, I'd best be going. Catch ya later!"
"You... you killed over 200 people!"
"Yup. And the future will be better for it. Trust me."
"Never! I'll never trust a villain."
"'Villain'. A label meant to, well, vilify me. But time will tell that you're on the wrong side of history. Pun very much intended. But don't worry, you don't have to stay there. You're welcome to come over any time. Pun still~
"I get it! Owwwww."
"You really can't help yourself, can you? All that power waiting to be used, and no idea what to do with it."
"I've got some pretty good ideas."
"Was that meant to sound threatening? Bo-ring! See, nothing you say or do can threaten me. I have you fully outmatched. And one day, you'll understand that I've been right all along. Then you'll stop fighting me altogether."
"I'll fight you to your last breath. I'll make you bleed for every life you take."
A shrug. "A price I'll gladly pay. And some day, so will you."
"Never! I'll never be like you! I'll never choose death!"
"Nah," LT said, slowly shaking her head. "I've seen where this 'protecting billionaires' leads. In just a few years, you will too. Then you won't be so willing to protect them. In fact~
"In a few years - aaagh!" Superzition writhed in pain on the lawn, pulling his knees in tight. "In a few years I'll have unlocked my full power. You've given too much away. Now I know what's possible. Soon, I'll be able to go back without limit. And do you know what I'll do then?"
LT stood over her nemesis, posing with her hands on her hips. "Tell me, oh great hero."
"I'll make sure you never exist."
LT smirked down at herself. "Never say never, boy."
Superzition jogged to another point along the perimeter around the ballroom ~ and didn't.
Superzition jogged to each point forming a perimeter of his possible self around the ballroom.
"I'm in position. All clear," each of him radioed.
Back at Superteam Lambda's HQ, a quantum receiver detected that all versions of the message were in accord and the signal strengths were even, within tolerance.
~
Five seconds ago, a Superzition tripped over a foot, reinforced sensible tennis shoe unexpectedly striking an outrageously sparkling 6-inch heel.
~
Five and a half seconds ago, three of Superzition's gloved fists struck out at likely locations. One struck ~ no one appeared.
"Show yourself!" some of Superzition called as he spread out around the zone he was tasked with protecting. ~ "Potential hostile presence," others radioed back to HQ.
"Boop!" A finger lightly tapped the back of each Superzition's hooded head.
~
Superzition spun around, fists raised, ready to strike his assailant before she had a ch~ Superzition spun around, to see her waiting for him, just out of reach. His eyes snapped to the teasing smile of her hot pink lips ~ to her perfect braids of dark brown hair ~ to her impeccable eye shadow ~ to those precarious heels which had to be torturing her feet ~ To the shifting sea of stars that was her tight black dress, so tight, clinging to every curve ~ to those exposed powerful legs, and the perfect thighs only partly covered by the very short dress ~ to her riveting gaze, which he could never tell was cold or warm.
"Zit. We meet, again ~ again ~ again ~ again..." she said, the final word intentionally out of sync with itself.
"Don't do that," he said, shaking his head, annoyed.
"Don't do what, call you Zit ~ talk like that?" she asked and asked.
"Both. You know I hate it."
"You hate a lot of things. Like freedom." With birdlike head-tilts, each of her indicated the ballroom with her chin.
He was ~ wasn't distracted by her cheekbones for a moment. "Freedom doesn't mean you should kill people."
"I will kill them for freedom. Freedom from them."
He shook his head. "You can't k~
"I can," she said.
"Hey, at least let me start speaking before you inter~
"I have no reason to be polite to you, Zit. You're in my way." This time there was no doubt that her expression was only cold.
"Superzition. It's my name, use it." He tried projecting authority that he didn't really feel.
"It's a stupid name chosen by the stupid 'superteam' you insist on hanging out with. You deserve so much better."
"Oh now you think I deserve bet~
"I've thought that for as long as I've known you, Zit. That doesn't preclude me from being ru~
"It's Superzition!" he preempted.
She shrugged, a dainty shrug from strong shoulders. "If you insist, Superzition. But only if you use my name."
"I'm not calling you the Lieutenant of Time! You're a villain, not an officer, and time doesn't have ranks!" he protested.
"Oh but it does, and I clearly outrank you. But I don't mind if you call me LT."
"LT. You really still think you're better than me, don't you?"
"And I always will be, Superzition. That's as inevitable as time itsel~
Twenty seconds ago, a tennis shoe struck out at the back of a knee.
~
"Oh, nice try there Superzition. Was that a full twenty seconds back?" LT taunted from just out of reach. "There might be hope for you yet.
~
Twenty-five seconds ago, a net launched from a concealed device on the superhero's arm. His nemesis deftly sliced through every version of it with a concealed butterfly knife.
"Be prepared," she said, and winked.
"How d~
LT made a break for the ballroom.
~
Superzition stood in her way.
"I'll always find a way around you. You can't stop me forever, boy."
Superzition flinched ~ fired back a biting retort ~ said nothing.
"Sorry, that was mean and I was only aiming for rude. I'll try not to remark on your ~ remark on your age, you can't help being ~ help being younger than me. It's only a matter of time."
"Please don't don't do the out of sync thing, that gives me a headache," Superzition said, rubbing his temples.
"It wasn't intentional this time, and I'd say I'd try to do better but really, you're the one who should learn to cope with it if you ever want to get on my level. ~ Actually no, you should learn to jump around it, there's no gain from pushing through the pain. That's the wrong approach."
"Great, got any more tips on beating you before we begin the fight in earnest?"
"Beating me? Ha! Nothing I tell you will ever help you beat me."
Superzition rolled his eyes. "You really think that just because you can jump back a little further than me, you'll always be able to outmaneuver me? Sorry, babe, but you're never getting into that ballroom. I'll stop you every t~
"Wanna bet?" LT whipped a phone out of her handbag and held a thumb close to the screen. "I already planted a bo~
Two seconds ago, LT's handbag fell to the ground, strap cut.
~
Five seconds ago LT held her thumb close to the phone screen.
~
Ten seconds ago, LT's phone was broken pieces scattered through the grass. She shrugged. "It was a deadman switch."
"I know," Superzition said, grinning. "I already cloned the signal."
LT lunged for him.
~
Dozens of iterations of a scuffle later/earlier, LT held a different phone in her hand, this one Superzition's. "Looks like I win."
The phone detonated, instantly kil~
Two seconds ago, LT flung the phone as hard as she could towards the ballroom. It hit the grand marble staircase and expl~ shattered into scrap.
"Your team should really be using the ruggedized model," she taunted.
"Yours broke just as easily," Superzition said, shrugging.
"Where do you think I lifted it from? That was your girlf~
"Poptart isn't my girlfriend! ~ Poptart isn't my girlfriend," he stated calmly.
"Did she ever tell you who she left y~
"We're not having this conversation. Have you noticed yet that your bomb hasn't gone off?"
LT shrugged. "Not the one you know abou..."
The ballroom exploded, killing 247.
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 246.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The ballroom exploded, killing 239.
"Congratulations, you saved eight waitstaff. No, really, I'm happy for you. You can probably save a couple more, but you can't thread many more parallel timestreams in and out of the doors in the short time you have."
~ ~ ~
The ballroom exploded, killing 236.
"Eleven, not bad! And I notice you've only gone for the waitstaff. That's good. If you try for any of the guests, I'm going to have to intervene. Please don't make me intervene. That would get messy."
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 235.
"They're closer to the door ~ I'm getting faster ~ and stronger ~ I can do this ~ can save them ~ don't you dare."
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 229.
"If you had any hope of succeeding here, the ballroom never would have exploded. Yes, the whole ballroom is the bomb. There's nothing you can do to stop that. It's over, Superzition."
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 228.
"You can ~ You could ~ There's still time ~ for you to undo all this."
~
The ballroom exploded, killing 224.
"Me? Ha! Why would I? I went to a lot of trouble to make those billionaires dead and I can and will ensure they stay that way."
~
Superzition once again took a dive back through the realm of possibilities. He retraced his steps through a frustratingly finite number of moments, this time with an extra jump to the left. As he returned to forward motion through the tangled timestream he could see several of himself grabbing people in well-pressed black and white uniforms, and pulling them away from their jobs serving food and drinks, out the door to safety.
He grabbed at the nearest man who didn't already have a Superzition attending. This one was dressed differently. Much more understated, yet far more luxurious. This man was money. One of LT's intended targets, marked for death. Superzition didn't care. He would save every single person he could, no less, no excuses.
There wasn't much time. There wasn't much room. Superzition could only move so fast.
But no. Time was a limit that could be bent. The remaining second were running out, but he could make them run out slower. He simply had to make a few adjustments to the temporal flow around himself and his rescuee.
"Time through my body. My body through time. Time through my body. My body through time." The mantra kept his senses on the stream as it moved around him and through him, as he moved through it and around it, trying not to space out on the sensation.
Forces tried to tug him back, his passenger creating extra drag. Superzition could see the inevitable wear of years on the older man's body.
Someday;
The void called. He tripped on an unseen knot in time.
The ballroom exploded, killing 225.
Blackness hit.
~
"Looks like I didn't need to intervene after all," LT said, shrugging as before. Or was that later?
"Wha?"
"Looks like a you tried pulling out one too many people and didn't make it out. Did your head in a bit."
"Owwww."
"I recommend you stay in one place at one time for a while until your synapses settle in. You'll thank me later."
"I'll never thank you. Villain," Superzition growled.
LT winked back. "Never say never."
"Never."
LT stuck her tongue out.
Superzition was fascinated ~ ignored this. "Yeouch!"
"Heh. Like I said, you should give yourself a rest. Alright, I'd best be going. Catch ya later!"
"You... you killed over 200 people!"
"Yup. And the future will be better for it. Trust me."
"Never! I'll never trust a villain."
"'Villain'. A label meant to, well, vilify me. But time will tell that you're on the wrong side of history. Pun very much intended. But don't worry, you don't have to stay there. You're welcome to come over any time. Pun still~
"I get it! Owwwww."
"You really can't help yourself, can you? All that power waiting to be used, and no idea what to do with it."
"I've got some pretty good ideas."
"Was that meant to sound threatening? Bo-ring! See, nothing you say or do can threaten me. I have you fully outmatched. And one day, you'll understand that I've been right all along. Then you'll stop fighting me altogether."
"I'll fight you to your last breath. I'll make you bleed for every life you take."
A shrug. "A price I'll gladly pay. And some day, so will you."
"Never! I'll never be like you! I'll never choose death!"
"Nah," LT said, slowly shaking her head. "I've seen where this 'protecting billionaires' leads. In just a few years, you will too. Then you won't be so willing to protect them. In fact~
"In a few years - aaagh!" Superzition writhed in pain on the lawn, pulling his knees in tight. "In a few years I'll have unlocked my full power. You've given too much away. Now I know what's possible. Soon, I'll be able to go back without limit. And do you know what I'll do then?"
LT stood over her nemesis, posing with her hands on her hips. "Tell me, oh great hero."
"I'll make sure you never exist."
LT smirked down at herself. "Never say never, boy."
Last edited:
Loved it. Are you intending to continue with the rest of the story, or are you going to let the subtext sing as is?
Gotta love a bootstrap paradox! Weak, problematic cis heroes: "Oh no, I'm my own grandfather!" Intrepid, revolutionary trans heroes: "Hell yes, I'll crack my own egg."
Hotdog Vendor
Author of 'Sisters of Rail'
- Location
- (5 + 3 * sqrt(5)) / 8
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Thanks!
This was planned as a complete short story. I don't currently have additional ideas for this character. There may not be anything else here that can and needs to be told as a story.
There is, however, an easter egg hunt in the text...