Nightlife

The evening breeze blew in through the door.

Ryan found it pleasant.

He looked up as boundless night settled over the city.

He turned back and saw Billy dragging Hughie outside. Hughie's face practically screamed, "I'm still working. Stop pulling me!"

A black car was parked by the entrance. It was Billy's car, and their ride.

Ryan hadn't driven in a long time. The last time he'd driven was, well, the last time he'd driven.

"Billy, I want to drive."

Billy had just dumped Hughie into the back seat when he heard Ryan's request.

It would have been easy enough to grant, but Billy wasn't blind.

He looked Ryan over. The kid was still growing. At his current height, he probably couldn't reach the brake pedal while sitting in the driver's seat and pressing the gas.

So Billy shook his head.

"You ever driven before?"

Ryan had driving experience, of course, but that was from his previous life.

As for this life...

Ryan thought back.

"I've driven in GTA."

He'd played the game on a laptop in the Seven Tower.

Honestly, he was confident in his driving.

He could at least make sure he hit fewer cars and people.

Billy now understood what kind of driver Ryan was. He grinned.

"Next time we steal a car, you can drive. This one's mine. I don't care if you hit someone, but the car might get damaged."

It was only natural to care about your own property. Ryan could sympathize. He shrugged regretfully and got into the passenger seat.

Billy, naturally, took the driver's seat.

He put the key in the ignition, rolled down the window, and released the handbrake.

He worked the clutch and gas, and the car pulled away.

Even the streets were bustling on a city night.

In the passenger seat, Ryan turned to look out the window.

Traffic streamed past on both sides, mingling with the clamor of voices.

At night, the cars were headed somewhere different than they were by day.

During the day, drivers hurried from place to place, stepping on the gas as they went about earning a living.

At night, Ryan's gaze moved along the street and into the cars traveling beside them.

Some drivers looked exhausted. They had finished a busy day and were heading home.

Others looked relaxed. Their night was just beginning.

Unlike the little villa shut away behind walls, this place made Ryan feel he had truly come outside.

It was familiar.

A city awash in desire.

Billy looked nothing like those drivers. His face gave nothing away.

He pulled into an alley and parked, then led Ryan and Hughie inside.

The alley was filthy and chaotic, the perfect breeding ground for rats around the garbage bins.

The buildings towering on either side kept sunlight from reaching it.

Darkness had been left to flourish.

As the three walked through the alley, Billy pointed to a gray iron door as if to say, "This is it."

Then they went inside.

Beyond the iron door lay a plain corridor. Farther in, the place turned lavish.

The floors gleamed, the sofas were soft, and the laughter of men and women mingled in the air.

Ryan looked around. The lighting shifted between bright and dim. Someone could get up to quite a bit here without drawing much attention.

This was clearly a nightclub.

Nightclubs were nothing unusual, so Ryan wasn't curious. Hughie, though, stared at one of the sofas in surprise.

"That's Ezekiel."

"A name alone doesn't tell me anything."

Following Hughie's gaze, Ryan spotted a middle-aged man on a sofa. His arm stretched several meters like rubber.

Beneath that long arm was a crowd of women he had wrapped in an embrace.

What a convenient superpower.

No. Ryan shook his head. That was downright indecent.

He considered his own abilities. He couldn't hug that many women at once, though he could roast them all with his Laser Eyes.

Hughie began explaining beside him.

"That man hugging all those women is a superhero too. His name's Ezekiel. He's a rubber man."

"So he's a punching bag that can take a beating."

"That's not what he's for."

Hughie searched his memory before continuing.

"Ezekiel works in publicity for Vought International. He tells people superpowers are a gift from God and encourages more supes to join Vought International."

"So that's how he encourages them."

Ryan was speechless. With his See-Eye, he could see exactly what sordid things Ezekiel was doing in the nightclub's dim light.

Still, acting respectable by day and shameless by night was hardly rare. Ryan could understand it.

He was still watching the live show when Billy moved on.

"Follow me."

With that, Billy took the lead, weaving between sofas occupied by people tangled up in their desires.

He looked long accustomed to all of it.

Ryan and Hughie followed without hesitation.

The three stopped at a bar near the back of the nightclub, where a bartender was mixing drinks.

Billy ordered a whiskey, Hughie a cocktail, and Ryan a glass of milk.

Billy glanced at Ryan's milk but said nothing.

Hughie wanted to say something, but decided Ryan would roast him until he cried, so he kept his mouth shut.

A silence settled over them. Billy was the one to break it.

"Those superheroes are people too. Vought International can package them like gods, but they still come here."

Ryan took a sip of warm milk and picked up the thread.

"So this nightclub caters to superheroes."

"More or less. They can indulge their filthy habits here without paparazzi taking pictures. Almost everyone in the Seven has been here."

"Business must be good."

"But we can't make a dime off Homelander. That bastard's like a saint. Doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, keeps a regular schedule, and treats people kindly."

"Why are you praising him through gritted teeth?"

"If he isn't a little disgusting, a little dirty, what am I supposed to use against him?"

Ryan knew the original story.

He knew just how awful Homelander was.

Homelander was nowhere near the saint Billy described, but Billy seemed dejected now.

He drained his whiskey in one gulp and changed the subject.

"The main reason we came was to show Hughie something."

Ryan looked at Hughie. The man stood over six feet tall, but curiosity and fear were written all over his face.

He looked like he wanted to see it and was afraid to.

But with Billy here, Hughie would probably be forced to watch even if he didn't want to.

As for Ryan, he had nothing better to do, so he watched along with them for the entertainment.

What they were going to watch was surveillance footage. Billy brought it up.

The video appeared before the three of them.

Ryan noticed something was off. Out of courtesy for the others watching, he spoke quietly to Billy.

"That camera's in a private room, isn't it? What about the guests' privacy?"

"We're watching it, aren't we?"

"Fuck. I'm never spending money at your club."