QuickBae - Chapter 8

After Kayleb’s encounter with Alternate, Team QuickBae including Aeres has been working on strategies on how to put a stop to one of their biggest threats so far. Aeres and Ali were trying to pin Alternate’s exact location but it seemed impossible because Alternate rarely stayed in one place. At some point, it

was as if he had completely disappeared from the surface of the earth due to how fast he was. Also, Ali was bonding really

well with Aeres and started seeing her from a different light. Kayleb on the other hand hated the fact that there was someone out there who is not only stronger than him, but after his speed. So he was determined to train harder. Presh and Ali also started getting the hang of their abilities all thanks to Dr Smart’s coaching. Presh is able to now control her ice abilities to an extent of accurately shooting and freezing her target while Ali can feel the energy vibrations coming from any of his intended target and relay exactly what is happening with that person. One certain evening; as Team QuickBae were still formulating strategies, Aeres found out Alternate’s true identity;

Aeres: I have got it, I have found out Alternate’s true identity

Ali: Really!

Aeres: Yeah, I was going through the police records and I found a guy who has been missing ever since the mercury oven exploded. His description matches that of Alternate’s. His actual name is Josh Danjuma and he is also a scientist. I don’t have any details yet as to how he got his speed though

Kayleb: It is still mesmerizing how Alternate can run at that level of speed

Ali: I monitored his movements when both you and him were running the other day and found out that he runs at Mach 15

Kayleb: What! But I run at Mach 9, so that means he is really faster than I am

Dr Smart: Still no speedster who just recently got their abilities from the mercury oven should have that kind of speed. I mean it’s only been five months since that incident. There is something fishy about this Alternate guy

Presh: You might be right about that Dr Smart

Kayleb: We are not getting anywhere by just guessing here. I will head out and continue training to increase my speed (walking out of the base)

Ali: Hey! Wait up (running after Kayleb)

Kayleb: What is it?

Ali: So what do you think about Aeres?

Kayleb: What about her?

Ali: Well I noticed you seem interested in her

Kayleb: What! No bro, I don’t think of her that way

Ali: You sure?

Kayleb: Wait, are you interested in Aeres?

Ali: Uhmm, I, I……

Kayleb: Dude! You are into her, aren’t you?

Ali: Is it that obvious?

Kayleb: I am you best friend and your colleague so these are the things I ought to know

Ali: Do you think she’d be interested in me?

Kayleb: You won’t know until you ask her out. Besides what’s there not to like about you? You are funny, good-looking and a

genius. If anything, I am sure she’d be into you

Kayleb: Sure! Now I have to go continue training, I will talk to you later

Ali: Okay

Kayleb then headed to the deserted district area near Smart’s Lab and continued his training on getting faster. Ali then went back into Team QuickBae’s base and was about asking Aeres out but due to one interruption or the other, he couldn’t talk to her. Team QuickBae then received a video message from Alternate

demanding that QuickBae should surrender himself at a given location or he would start killing humans in the city one after the other. Kayleb after receiving this news decided that he would surrender himself up to Alternate;

Dr Smart: No Kayleb, it could be a trap. Besides you still haven’t been able to exceed Mach 9 in your speed training

Kayleb: Still, I have got no choice. I am this city’s hero after all so I have to surrender myself

Ali: Then let us help you!

Presh: Yes Kayleb, you don’t have to face Alternate alone

Kayleb: He requested I come alone or the deal is off. I can’t risk the safety and lives of the innocent people in this city. So I have to do this, that and on my own!

Kayleb: Thanks you guys! Now I have to get going, I shouldn’t keep Alternate waiting

Kayleb then suited up and ran to the location Alternate had demanded for them to meet. It was in an abandoned warehouse outside Sterling City;

Alternate: So you do care about the citizens of Sterling city after all

QuickBae: I am here, am I not?! What do you want?

Alternate: You and I both know the answer to that

QuickBae: (sighing) my speed huh!

Alternate: Exactly and since you know that your defeat is inevitable, why don’t you just give up now?

QuickBae: I am sure you don’t know me well enough because if you did, you wouldn’t be telling me to give up and surrender myself to you for I never give up nor do I lose hope

Alternate: Hope! Let me tell you something about hope. There is no hope for you because I will take away your speed just like I did with all the other Human Dynamos who obtained speed too

Alternate: Of course! The night the incident happened, I was on my way to Smart’s lab on an ȧssignment….

QuickBae: (Interrupting) Josh Danjuma! That is your name, isn’t it?! You are also a scientist, right?

Alternate: You even know my name….

QuickBae: I found out

Alternate: I knew you guys were genius scientists but I didn’t expect you to be this good, Kayleb Malone!

QuickBae: What! How do you know my true identity?

Alternate: Oh come on, I know all your identities including all the members of Team QuickBae; Ali, Presh, Aeres and even Dr Smart. After all, I have been keeping tabs on all your movements

QuickBae: Did you use all the human dynamos you have been sending to find out my location and identity?

Alternate: That part was actually easy. As I was saying, the night the mercury oven exploded, I was also in Smart’s lab on an

assignment. I was supposed to give Dr Smart a report statement on an ȧssignment my Laboratory was working on and I was meant to get his feedback. When I realized that everyone had gone home early because of the rainy weather, I was about leaving as well when I saw both you and Scientist Ali Mukky, going into the heating room. I followed and was about talking to you both but when I got to where you both were, the mercury oven started malfunctioning and Boom!…It exploded. Now everyone in the city was affected but my abilities didn’t come from the ISEC infusing in my system, instead it came from you QuickBae!

QuickBae: What do you mean by ME?!

Alternate: You do know that you are a living embodiment of your own abilities, right?! There is also another truth to you but I might shed some light on that another day. But you are your own source of your speed because you suċkėd in much immense energy from the mercury

oven directly. But unknown to you, you unconsciously released some of that energy and like the wave, it also spread

throughout the city into people including myself increasing our hyper motility and giving us all speed as well. So when you

think about it, it’s just as if you indirectly shared part of your speed with us

QuickBae: Making me the source of your speed?!

Alternate: Now you are getting it. That energy you released is different from the one the mercury oven released. The mercury oven’s energy wave uses the molecules of an element to fuse alongside the ISEC in your immune system, that is what enables one to have a particular ability; depending on what element fuses with the ISEC in his/her system. But you, Kayleb, already had the ISEC and your high reflexes, fused inside of you. So the energy you shared to us, was already in it’s refined form. That’s why we have speed too, like you. I didn’t slip into a coma after receiving that energy from you and I realized my abilities immediately. I then left Smart’s lab instantly without a trace and hid myself for a while. I later found out that the total number of people who got their speed from you as well were thirteen, including me. Addicted to the sweetness of speed, I became obsessed with the feeling of my hyper motility increasing tenfold. I disposed of the remaining speedsters, all except four including you and got their speed using an extractor in my lab

QuickBae: So right from the start, you knew who we all were…But why didn’t you show yourself till now? Why beat about the Bush??

Alternate: I had to ensure that I had gathered enough speed to put you down. I couldn’t exactly do that at first because initially you were faster than me and you know why. But since I was the closest to you when that wave hit you, it made me stronger than the rest of the speedsters who also got their speed indirectly from you. So I decided to get theirs first and add it to mine which made me as fast as I am today and even faster than you now. I then sent human dynamos after you so that you would be brought to me for my purpose; even though many had their aims, but we still shared mutual benefits. That is why they all agreed to my demands, not that they also really had a choice though! You are my main goal as of now Kayleb and after I have your speed, I will go after the remaining three speedsters out there and collect their speed as well

QuickBae: I get everything now. You are just an addicted person who is obsessed with my speed nothing more. I admit that you are faster than I am now but if you think that I will go down easily without a fight, then you are wrong. I won’t let you harm me nor anyone else!

Alternate: (smiling evilly) I wasn’t expecting it any other way

Meanwhile back in the lab, Team QuickBae had heard the conversation between Alternate and Kayleb;

Dr Smart: Now that he mentioned it, I was supposed to get a statement report that night the mercury oven exploded but

since I didn’t receive it, I figured that Dialogue Lab {the Laboratory where Josh Danjuma used to work} must have decided to change their minds

Presh: What he says makes much sense now. Alternate and his kind are different from Kayleb because Kayleb is their source of speed. So if anything were to happen to Kayleb, all of the speedster that got their speed from QuickBae would be

affected. The theory is like an indirect transmission of trait only not from a family member

Ali: Basically, they suċkėd in immense energy too but from Kayleb and not the explosion?

Presh: Yeah!

Dr Smart: Right now my only concern is Kayleb; I hope he is able to pull through all of this

Aeres: He will, I believe in him

Ali: We all do!