"Go."
The word hadn't even finished leaving Superman's lips before the sound barrier shattered.
KRA-KOOM.
Windows in Metropolis didn't break—Superman was careful enough to adjust his bio-electric field to protect the city—but the air pressure dropped instantly as two objects accelerated from zero to Mach 10 in a nanosecond.
To a satellite looking down, it looked like two lasers tracing the globe. One was a streaking comet of Red and Blue. The other was a jagged, erratic bolt of pure Cyan.
The Atlantic Ocean
The water beneath them felt like concrete at this speed.
Superman flew about twenty feet above the waves, his cape snapping violently. He was streamlined, aerodynamic, a bullet of Kryptonian steel cutting through the air. He glanced to his right.
Elias was running on the water.
But he wasn't just running. He was water-skiing on the soles of his shoes. He was running backward. He was doing 360-degree spins every few miles just for the style points.
"You're not generating lift!" Superman shouted over the roar of the wind, his voice carried by super-ventriloquism. "At this velocity, the friction should be vaporizing your sneakers!"
Elias, currently running with his hands behind his head in a relaxed jog, looked over. His legs were a blur of circular motion—the classic red wheel.
"Physics is a suggestion, Supes!" Elias laughed. "It's more of a guideline than a rule!"
To prove his point, Elias hopped over a fifty-foot rogue wave, spun in mid-air, grabbed a seagull that was hovering in the air (relative to them), gave it a high-five, and landed back on the water without losing an ounce of momentum.
"Show off," Superman muttered, but he was smiling. He leaned forward, accelerating.
Paris, France
They hit the coast of France in seconds.
Superman banked high, soaring over the city to avoid the buildings. He aimed for the cloud layer.
Elias stayed low. He tore through the streets of Paris. He didn't hit anyone; his "Chaos Factor" bent probability so that every car door opened at the right second to let him pass, and every pedestrian bent down to tie their shoe just as he zipped by.
He reached the Eiffel Tower.
Instead of going around it, Elias ran up it. He spiraled up the iron lattice, grinding on the railing like he was in Sonic Adventure 2, sparks flying.
He launched off the tip of the spire, soaring into the clouds.
Superman was waiting for him. "Took you long enough."
"Sightseeing," Elias winked. "Nice tower. Pointy."
The Himalayas
They dropped into the mountain range. This was technical terrain.
Superman weaved through the peaks with perfect precision. His flight was graceful, calculated.
Elias treated the mountains like a pinball machine. He curled into a blue ball, spindashing off glaciers, bouncing off cliff faces to change direction instantly. He was geometric chaos.
"How are you breathing?" Superman asked as they crested Everest. "The air is thin."
"I hold my breath!" Elias lied. "Actually, I think my lungs just generate their own oxygen now. It's part of the 'Archie' package. Don't think about it too hard, or the logic falls apart."
Superman shook his head. "You're impossible."
"I'm paradoxical!"
The Pacific Ocean (The Final Stretch)
They hit the open water again, heading back toward the American West Coast.
"Okay," Superman said, his expression tightening. "Warm-up is over. Let's see what you can really do."
The Man of Steel stopped holding back. The air around him turned into a cone of white vapor. He pushed past Mach 100. Mach 500. He began to approach light speed. The ocean below them parted, creating a canyon of water from the sheer displacement of air.
Elias felt the wind resistance vanish. The world turned into a tunnel of light.
"Now we're talking!" Elias grinned.
He leaned forward. He did the Super Peel Out. His legs moved in a figure-eight infinity symbol.
He didn't just match Superman's speed; he played with it.
Elias vanished.
He reappeared in front of Superman, running backward, winking.
Then he was on the left.
Then he was on the right.
He was vibrating his molecules so fast he existed in three places at once.
"Toon Force, baby!" Elias cheered. "Gotta go fast!"
He tapped into the Chaos Factor. He didn't just push against the ground; he grabbed the horizon and pulled it toward him.
Metropolis - The Finish Line
The Daily Planet globe came into view.
Superman was a red blur.
Elias was a blue streak.
They hit the city limits. The windows rattled. Papers flew off desks.
They aimed for the park where they started.
WHOOSH.
They stopped.
There was no skid mark. No crater.
One second they were moving at relativistic speeds; the next, they were standing perfectly still on the grass, not a blade out of place. This was Elias's doing—he had extended his inertia-canceling aura to Superman so they wouldn't accidentally nuke the city upon arrival.
Superman stood tall, his cape settling gently. He wasn't even out of breath.
Elias was leaning against a tree, spinning a gold ring on his finger.
"Photo finish," Superman declared, checking an internal clock that measured nanoseconds. "Dead heat."
"I think my nose crossed the line first," Elias teased, tapping his black nose.
"Your quills create drag," Superman countered with a smirk. "Technically, I'm more aerodynamic."
They looked at each other, and then both burst into laughter.
Superman walked over and extended a hand.
"You're fast, Elias. Maybe the fastest thing I've ever seen."
Elias shook the hand. His grip was firm. "Coming from you, Big Blue, that means a lot. But you're not so slow yourself for a guy who wears a cape."
Superman looked up at the sky. "So, you're stuck here. In this universe."
"Looks like it," Elias said, looking at the gleaming city. "The Emeralds sent me back to square one. But... I think I like this patch better. It's less gloomy."
"We could use someone like you," Superman said seriously. "The Justice League. We're always looking for heroes."
Elias put his hands behind his head. "I'm not much for meetings, Supes. And I hate rules."
He turned and looked toward the horizon, where the sun was setting.
"I think I'll just run. See the sights. Stop a few bad guys. Eat a few chili dogs. You know, live and learn."
Superman nodded. "If you ever need anything..."
"I'll whistle," Elias promised.
He tapped his red sneaker.
"Catch you later, Man of Steel."
ZOOM.
Elias vanished in a cloud of dust and blue sparks, leaving Superman standing alone in the park, smiling as the leaves swirled in the wake of the fastest hedgehog alive.