Unstoppable part 4

It didn't take long for Lane to finish the message. He was almost done, anyway. The last bit was in the wrong colors, the wrong style. But at least it got done.

He was admiring his work when he realized something: the security guards were watching him. Not just a few of them either. It seemed as if every security guard in the building had gathered on one floor to watch. Before any plan of escape could register, a window swung open and a silver dart flashed towards him, crackling with electricity.

The stun gun snagged his wing. The tiger convulsed in pain and began to drop, screaming. His form began to slip. His frame became slightly smaller, muscles began to shrink. Bits of beige began to bleed through the black and grey. "Crap," he muttered, "please, not now..."

Lane struggled to regain control. His vision blurred. His limbs went numb. "Please, not now... Just a little longer... Come on..."

Time began to move in slow motion. Lane caught a glimpse of Karma down below, but something wasn't right about him. Was he... glowing? Yeah, it seemed to be that he was glowing. And now he was lifting up his right forepaw. That was glowing too, only brighter. "That's nice..." Lane thought idly as he drifted between sleep and wake.

But then Lane noticed the empty Monster cans at Karma's feet. Sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. What happens when superheroes have that much sugar? Some primal survival instinct stirred in the back of Lane's mind. He quickly shifted back into the larger version of his black tiger form and launched himself off the gold-plated wall just in time to dodge the blast of golden white light that erupted from Karma's paw.

Lane landed several feet away from his opponent, smashing the asphalt to bits beneath him. He shrank down to normal size. "Listen, Karma," he growled. "I don't want to hurt anyone. My job is done here, anyway. Just let me go and we can forget today ever happened."

"You caused a lot of damage today, shapeshifter," the hero answered. "I should have you locked up."

"Plenty of people make their living off of repairing damage like this. In the long run, I've done nothing wrong here other than create a slight inconvenience for the locals." Lane removed his backpack and tossed it aside. It rolled into the gutter and fell down a storm drain.

"Doesn't matter. You broke at least a few dozen laws just now."

"Well, here's the thing, Karma," Lane laughed. "If you do lock me up, what would stop me from doing thissssss?"

Lane shifted into a long, thin python and slithered down the storm drain. Karma tried to grab him, but he was too late. Lane was gone.



Lane stepped out of the elevator on the top floor of Silversmith Tower. He moved carefully so as not to spill any coffee on his clean white tee. Mary, a cute young tigress behind the receptionist desk, smiled his way. "Hi there, Lane..."

"Hello, Mary," Lane answered cheerily. The streak in his hair turned a pale blue. "You're looking particularly stunning today. Any idea where I can find Mr. Silversmith?"

Mary blushed. "Try his office. He's been staring out his window for quite a while."

"Thanks, you're the best." Lane left an iced coffee on her desk and walked around the corner towards the CEO office.

The room was huge, lavishly decorated and immaculately tidy. Not a single thing was out of place. The furniture was all black fabric and chrome finish. Michael, dressed in a suit and tie, was standing in front of a glass wall on the opposite side of the room. "Mr. Dupree, I assume you brought the coffee?"

"Yep, right here." Lane held up the warm paper cup. "Just the way you like it."

The husky turned. His pale, silvery eyes glimmered. "Wonderful, just what I need right now." He grabbed the cup and roamed back to the window. Lane followed, holding his own drink. "I really enjoyed the show out there, Mr. Dupree. A powerful message, too. Nice choice."

"Y-you're not mad?"

"Why would I be?"

"Well, it's not as if it was a clean job. Karma got in the way a bit."

Michael laughed. "And you think I don't have crews that can clean that up, too? Ah, my dear boy, the only thing that concerns me is the color pattern. What happened on those last few letters?"

"I kinda dropped a few paint sticks up there. I'll replace them soon."

"Well, you'll find money won't be an issue for a while. Fifteen thousand dollars have been wired to your savings account."

"Excellent."

The two stood there for a while, sipping their coffee, staring at the message written over the city as the setting sun illuminated it. In dark blues and purples read the lines:

Won't be caught.

Won't be silenced.

Won't be stopped.