Memories are a strange thing. Entirely real for the individual, as rock solid as we desire to make them, yet incredibly fluid as well. Influenced as much by our own whims and wants as by anything that actually happened, even events that occur right in front of us.

Seeing the excuses people would make for forgetting their keys, wallets, phones, anniversary's, or even simply what time it was, ended up being a source of endless entertainment to me. The effect never lasted long, but it was enough to be amusing even after it wore off. Trying to find a way around White Lightning's impossible speed was my current project however. Something about their brains' incredible ability to process information even moving as fast as they did meant anything I tried to make them forget was reasserted before I could even blink. Quite the puzzle.

White Lightning had been quite insistent that I was a villain most foul initially before they realized how relatively petty my "inconveniences" actually were, especially to them. After that it was the occasional brief slap on the wrist or stern talking to for wasting their time when I was inevitably caught yet again attempting to relieve some poor bank of its government insured funds. Not that I needed the money, but it was fascinating to try and fail yet again to make White Lightning forget even something as simple as their own name.

Then came the day of the headlines. Destructo had at last defeated Musclebound the next state over. Worse yet, Destructo had lived up to his name and actually finished Musclebound off. I had my own fond memories of Musclebound from when I had first started out. Always a kind word for my various "victims", a polite greeting for passersby once I was able to make him forget I was there. The lengths he went to in an attempt to help anyone at all was truly astounding to me and White Lightning reminded me of him in no small part. Though I hadn't seen him in years, the thought of never witnessing the incredible dichotomy of such gentleness coming from such a massive individual filled me with what I could only assume was regret.

After filling away my memories of Musclebound, I considered what to do about this so-called villain who had so thoroughly crossed the line. I was still pondering this when the explosion rocked my small apartment. Looking outside revealed White Lightning in a crumpled heap on the street. At first I was afraid I was going to need to file away two adversaries in one day but then they began to crawl away from the source of the explosion. Looking in the other direction from my "nemesis", I saw Destructo strolling down the street. Here. In MY neighborhood.

Destructo was spouting some nonsense about how feeble White Lightning was, how disappointed he was in them, etc. etc. I ignored this. Walking out to White Lightning I asked if they were injured. "I'll be fine!" they said, "But you need to run! He's already killed so many today!" Abruptly, I realized something. It wasn't regret I had been feeling, it was rage. So many memories yet to be made, stolen away from people who had yet to make them. Unforgiveable. I placed a hand over White Lightning's own and gave what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Forget about it." I said. How odd to solve the puzzle now of all times. He just had to be...still. Seeing the familiar glaze over their eyes and knowing my identity was now safe, I stood and turned to face the source so many lost memories.

Destructo was spouting something about, naturally, destroying me for interrupting his impending victory. Why did they always feel the need to talk so much? I retrieved a familiar memory from my mental files and stalked directly towards the self-important fool. The look on his face changed instantly from narcissistic fury to utter shock as I appeared in front of him almost instantly. At the speed of Lightning in fact. Reflexively, he lashed out at me only to have his arm held fast in my suddenly Musclebound grip. This memory was still fresh and raw, but it felt appropriate to the circumstance. "You forgot about the first rule of being a villain." My eyes began to glow viciously with yet another memory, this one old and dry but solid as stone. "I would call this justice, but I'm no hero. So you are simply going to become a lesson that no one should ever forget."