Web Address

Hughie spotted A-Train's sudden arrival. He stared at the computer screen, frustration written all over his face.

"Give me two more minutes. Just two minutes."

Two minutes wasn't long, but right now, Hughie needed every second. Ryan turned back toward the door.

The Female heard the knock and got up to answer it.

If she let A-Train in, he might catch Hughie in the act.

And then Hughie would likely face whatever punishment the Female and A-Train decided to dish out.

Ryan had worked with A-Train long enough to know a little about him.

He might be called a superhero, but softhearted was the last thing he was.

Figuring it was worth a try,

Ryan took out his phone and called Billy, who was outside the villa.

Billy had been watching the surveillance feed from a van down the street. He was probably still there.

Billy picked up quickly. Ryan lowered his voice.

"See A-Train?"

"Clear as day on the cameras."

"Find a way to draw him off."

Ryan hung up and went back to resting his cheek on his hand as he watched the computer screen.

Hughie kept working. Across the room, the Female put her hand on the doorknob and slowly opened the door.

A-Train was about to step inside when he heard someone call his name.

It sounded like a fan: a man with a black beard.

Something about the man's eyes made him uneasy. They held a madness barely kept in check.

A-Train didn't know the man's name, but as a member of The Seven, he knew how famous he was.

In public, he put on a friendly face.

"What's up, buddy?"

"Can I get an autograph?"

"I don't have a pen."

"Then go buy one."

"What did you say?"

After a few more words with the man, A-Train grew increasingly impatient. He had come to spend time alone with the Female, not chat with a fan who had appeared out of nowhere.

Irritated, he tried to get rid of him.

But the man looked over the villa.

"Is A-Train here to meet someone special?"

"No."

A-Train cut him off and shook his head. The door in front of him was now wide open.

A woman stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. She had a seductive figure and an angry face.

The Female, a star whose fame had faded.

A-Train knew what she wanted. They had been dating for a long time, and she had always wanted him to acknowledge their relationship.

She wanted to ride the fame of The Seven back into the spotlight.

Too bad. A-Train never forgot the image he had to maintain: a single, athletic good guy.

If his relationship with the Female came out, he would end up as forgotten as she was.

He could almost picture that miserable life. A commercial superhero who could no longer draw an audience had failed at his job.

A-Train thought it over, then opened his mouth.

"She's the cleaner. You wanted an autograph, right? Come over here."

He pulled the stranger away from the villa, then took out a pen to sign something.

The fan looked surprised.

"That's one gorgeous cleaner."

"Focus on me, not her."

"Oh."

Only when his fan nodded obediently did A-Train get down to business.

"What do you want me to sign?"

"Thought you didn't have a pen."

"Just remembered it was in my pocket."

"Oh."

"So what am I signing?"

The fan glanced awkwardly over himself.

"My shoe, I guess."

He stuck out his foot, showing off a black casual shoe.

A-Train didn't know what to make of it. Figuring the man's foot must stink, he covered his nose, crouched down, and scrawled his name across the shoe.

The fan wasn't a fan at all. It was Billy, who had just gotten Ryan's call and was playing along.

Still, he had to admit it felt good.

Billy looked down at A-Train, the superhero adored by people on TV, now crouching at his feet.

A moment later,

A-Train finished writing and stood up. Halfway through the signature, he had started to wonder if something was off.

It felt as though this supposed fan was insulting him. Now that he was upright again, he took a closer look.

But the man's face showed genuine gratitude.

Maybe he was overthinking it. A-Train had no desire to keep talking, so he sent the man on his way after a few quick words.

Then he went back into the villa.

Inside, A-Train looked at the sulking Female and felt a headache coming on.

How am I supposed to make it up to her?

After a moment's thought, he fell back on his usual tactic: making promises about the future.

Putting on a tender expression, A-Train wrapped his arms around the Female's waist.

"Give me a few more days to take care of things, and I'll tell the media about us."

"What things?"

The Female wasn't truly angry. She was acting upset because she wanted something from him.

She let A-Train hold her waist and placed a hand over his.

Then she asked again.

"Is something bothering you?"

"You noticed?"

"You weren't hiding it. It's written all over your face."

A-Train sighed, lifted the Female, and sat down on the sofa with her.

His footsteps sounded on the floor. With his superhuman senses, he noticed footprints there.

"Has someone been here?"

Afraid A-Train would read too much into it, the Female hurried to explain.

"Two people came by to upgrade the internet. They've already left."

Internet upgrades were a routine service, but something still felt wrong to A-Train. He couldn't put his finger on it.

So he let it go.

Outside the villa, Hughie and Ryan returned to the van.

There they found Billy sitting with his legs crossed, spitting on his shoe and wiping it clean.

"A-Train's handwriting is awful."

Billy looked thoroughly disgusted as he said it. Ryan had seen what happened with his X-Ray Vision. Billy had bought them the time they needed.

Beside Ryan stood Hughie, his face practically saying, I did it.

Ryan asked about the result.

"Did you get the web address?"

"Of course."

Proud of himself, Hughie nudged aside the man sitting at the laptop and began working the keyboard.

The display changed as he worked. Gradually, it showed a man and a woman embracing on a sofa in front of a television.

They were seeing inside the Female's home through the television's camera.

Everyone in the van knew the couple: A-Train and the Female.

"Nice work," Ryan said, then turned his attention to the screen.

To be honest, the picture wasn't as clear as what he could see with his X-Ray Vision.

But it wasn't bad.

Onscreen, A-Train and the Female sat close together. Hughie turned up the volume.

Now they could listen in on the conversation too.

A-Train was speaking.

"What's bothering me is this newcomer on the racing circuit."

"A newcomer?"

"Yeah. He's a supe too. People call him Shockwave. He wants to outrun me and take my spot in The Seven. The nerve of him."

"I'd never look down on you, A-Train. You'll always be the fastest."

The couple traded a few more words and got affectionate. Listening from the van, the men weren't enjoying it.

But for now, they had to keep listening.

Soon there was nothing more to hear. Ryan watched A-Train on the screen, speechless, as desire stirred in the man's eyes.