Get Zing

He angrily yelled at himself, “Whatever it’s about, you’ll know in fifteen minutes!” He was sure everything in Homicide was going smoothly, and that’s really all he could control. Better concentrate on his driving.

After parking in the private garage under City Hall, he rode the luxurious private elevator in silence. The mayor’s top aide met him and ushered him into the mayor’s study, where not only were his boss and the mayor waiting for him, but he was also greeted by Illinois Governor William G. Stratton. He’d never spoken with the man before, but he was greeted like an old friend. Now he was almost flummoxed; why would the governor be interested in a captain in Chicago P.D. Homicide? The governor introduced him to the other man in the room, Colonel Cranston of the Illinois State Police.

“Let’s get business out of the way so we can enjoy lunch, eh?” Stratton suggested. Mayor Daley nodded in agreement and turned to Tony.

“What do you know about this new mystery villain Zing, Captain?”

Tony was a little surprised, but not much. If this meeting wasn’t about him, it must be about the current big news. “So far, she hasn’t been involved in any deaths, so Homicide hasn’t been involved in any of her crimes. I’ve been following the case, anyway; I have an interest in heroes and villains with super-powers.”

“Yes, we know of your friendship with Red Rocket and Tom Atomic,” Cranston said, a little impatiently. Tony started to think he might not like this man. He was tall and impeccably handsome, the trim fit of his State Police uniform was definitely the result of some non-regulation tailoring, and there always seemed to be a little hint of condescension in his voice, except when he addressed the governor; then he sounded obsequious. “Vigilantes are dangerous, if you ask me!”

“Red Rocket and Tom Atomic have been officially deputized to assist the CPD; they are hardly vigilantes,” Tony replied quietly. He’d heard this argument many times before and didn’t care to get involved again, particularly in this company.

The governor looked a little uncomfortable. “Let’s stick to the subject, shall we, gentlemen? Zing, the self-styled Queen of Quick. What information do you have on her, Captain?”

“Hmm… No one knows anything about her history prior to her first appearance, last year. One day, she appeared out of nowhere and stole hundreds of thousands in cash, plus a couple of million in jewelry. Since then she’s robbed a couple of museums, the Chicago Stock Exchange, and a couple of banks. Nobody has been able to stop her, not even our resident mystery heroes.”

“Her super-power is super-speed, and she almost never slows down enough for anyone to get a clear look at her. If it weren’t for the photos taken by the runway photographers at the Fashion Flash, we probably still wouldn’t know what she looks like.”

“So far, nothing new,” Cranston said with a sniff.

Tony ignored him and continued. “She can apparently run across water and up the sides of buildings. She doesn’t seem to be able to fly, but she can jump incredible distances, change her direction somewhat in the air, and come down safely. She is apparently immune to high temperatures, since she is not burned by air friction as she runs, and she can create ultra-high temperatures by friction heating - rubbing her hands on something so fast that it melts or bursts into flames or explodes.”

Cranston was still sneering, though the other men were looking thoughtful. All of this information had been reported by one news outlet or another, but very few people had pulled it all together in a single place as Spinelli was laying it out for them.

“She can apparently move several times the speed of sound, and is sometimes accompanied by a small sonic boom. Experts on high speed believe that her super speed power, like that of Flux, must be the result of magic. A human body moving at the speeds she reaches following the accepted laws of physics should produce a much louder sonic boom, several times louder than it is, and should also cause a wind that would knock people down!”

“I haven’t heard that before!” Stewart exclaimed. It was clear from his sour expression that Cranston hadn’t, either. “What else?” the Colonel asked, almost eagerly.

“Only a couple more things. She seems to be only about as strong as a normal human; she never takes heavy things, only things a normal woman of her height could carry. And she either steals things like gems, jewelry, and artwork for her own use, or she doesn’t have the connections to sell them.”

“How do you know that?” Cranston demanded.

“The first few days of her rampage, she stole a lot of stuff other than money, such as the jewelry from Horowicz, some small sculptures and paintings from the art museums, and the negotiable securities from the Chicago Stock Exchange. None of that stuff has turned up since. And since then, she’s stolen nothing but cash.”

Even Cranston looked thoughtful. None of the police analysts working on the case had come up with those observations yet.

Tony continued. “We’re getting into opinion, now, but my guess is some kid magically got super-powers not long ago, and she has big plans but no prior criminal experience or connections. She got her powers by surprise, and the first thing she did was start stealing all the loot they always show on cop shows and in the comic-books. But that stuff isn't cash, and when it's hot, it isn't easy to turn it into cash. She's new, and doesn't know how to find a fence for that stuff - so she switched to stealing cash for the time being.”

“If you were assigned to the case, Captain, how would you go about catching this Zing?” Mayor Delay asked.

“Some girl in Chicagoland has a lot more money today than she had not long ago, and she’s going to be spending it. Also, there are probably some neighborhood pawn shops where she tried to sell some of the jewelry, and they knew that the stuff was too hot to handle, and those guys will probably be telling stories. And she’s going to be trying to make some big-time connections. So that’s three things to look for.”

“As I said earlier, Governor,” Cranston piped up, an annoyed tone in his voice.

Tony ignored him. “And I’d put out a notice to every police department on the continent to check their own pawnshops and fences for some of her loot; with her speed, she could easily do her business in Los Angeles and be back home before dinner. I’d also suggest contacting the Alliance of Mystery Heroes and seeing if Flux is available for a consultation. She’s the world’s top expert on super speed!”

Before Cranston could say anything else, the governor spoke up. “Gentlemen, I think I’ve heard enough. Captain Spinelli is clearly the man for the job.”

The mayor and the police commissioner smiled. Cranston looked like he'd just bitten into a lemon. The governor wasn’t finished, though.

“Tony, we would like you to take command of the newly created Chicago Police Department Mystery Villain Apprehension Unit. You will be relieved of all your duties in Homicide and promoted immediately to major. Your paramount priorities are establishing the task force as a permanent organization… and capturing Zing. You can requisition whatever resources and personnel you need from any law enforcement department across the state. Major Cranston will be your second in command and liaison with the Illinois State Police, who will cooperate with you fully.” He was looking closely at Cranston, and nobody in the room missed the governor's emphasis on full cooperation.

“Congratulations, Major Spinelli! Establishing the MVAU is urgent, but you can wait until after lunch to get started.”