The Race

A-Train's face turned deathly pale.

After what he had just said, knowing Ryan's temperament, if he failed to get away...

What came next would be painful enough to leave a lasting mark on his memory.

Fear drove A-Train to pour even more strength into his legs.

After taking Compound V, he still had not reached his top speed. A-Train was confident he could run faster.

This time, Ryan would never catch him.

Up in the air, Ryan watched A-Train accelerate. Against the dark gray asphalt, A-Train's figure looked like a gust of wind.

He raced along the highway through the heart of the wasteland.

Ryan estimated that he was faster than he normally was, but only by a little.

A little was still a breakthrough for someone with superpowers—progress worth being proud of.

Now he just had to see how long the Compound V would last. Ryan was in no hurry. Within his field of vision,

he could see every move A-Train made and kept him firmly in sight, like a patient hunter.

He flew easily through the air behind A-Train.

A-Train ran until the sky changed color. Only when night fell and the stars came out did he finally stop.

He panted for breath. Even with superpowers, that run had pushed his body beyond its limits.

His heart was the worst of it. A-Train pressed a hand to his chest and felt the organ pounding so hard it seemed ready to burst at any moment.

But something else troubled him. He looked up at the twinkling stars and the bright moon.

After that run, even the sky overhead seemed clearer than ever.

Standing on a highway in the middle of nowhere, A-Train broke into a delighted smile.

Moonlight washed over him, bathing him in its glow.

"I outran him. I outran that guy! A-Train—the speed champion forever."

"Wow. Impressive."

"..."

The familiar voice made A-Train's hair stand on end. He spun around and saw Ryan on the ground.

Ryan walked toward him, one step at a time.

If he gets close, he'll kill me. Fear spread through A-Train's chest. He tried to start running again,

but his legs had gone weak. He could not run anymore.

Sweat covered his body, and exhaustion filled his limbs.

A-Train collapsed onto the ground and inched backward on his rear.

"Don't kill me. The Female's waiting for me to come back so we can get married."

"Then I'll send you both down there together."

"Can't you forgive me? I'm reflecting on what I did."

"A-Train, your face says you'll bolt as soon as you've rested enough."

"Is it that obvious?"

"One look is all it takes."

Ryan sighed. He was nowhere near as brutal as A-Train imagined. After all, since arriving in this world,

he had never actually drawn blood.

He usually acted cold because it was necessary when dealing with the scumbags in The Seven.

Of course, A-Train was hardly a good person either.

With that thought, Ryan reached A-Train and held out a hand, pulling him up from the ground.

"I'm interested in Compound V. Let's work together."

"Work together?"

"Do as you're told and help me."

"What do you want to do?"

"I..."

Ryan looked at his hand. His palm was still small and youthful, still growing.

His powers would grow along with his body, but that growth was far too slow. Even at their peak,

he would only become a second Homelander. That was nowhere near enough.

So Ryan told him what he wanted.

"Do you have any more Compound V? I want some."

"That was the last dose. To get more, I'd have to go pick it up."

"From where?"

A-Train hesitated at the question before finally giving him a name.

"The Female."

On the nighttime highway, Ryan walked beside A-Train.

A-Train had run himself ragged. He needed to walk for a while to recover.

Ryan looked to either side of the highway. Out here, the night swallowed almost everything he could see.

All that remained was a silent stretch of darkness.

A-Train did not dare anger Ryan. After briefly explaining where the Compound V came from, he told him something else.

He needed its effects to beat another superhero, Shockwave, in a race.

He had to win, or Shockwave would take his place in The Seven.

Ryan did not mind getting a new colleague. He gave a halfhearted response.

"Taking drugs isn't a great idea."

"But if I don't, I'll lose. And losers get nothing but contempt."

"So Shockwave has to lose instead."

Though he had never met him, Ryan felt sorry for the superhero. One day, Shockwave would race A-Train,

only to lose not because A-Train was better, but because he had used a shortcut.

A-Train saw nothing wrong with that.

"In these peaceful times, people like me go to war on the track. Win by a fraction, and you're a star. Fall a fraction behind, and you fade away."

Even after hearing that, Ryan had never stood on the stage of a real competition. He left footprints on the highway,

unable to understand the pressure A-Train felt on the track, or how fiercely he might cry out for the championship.

There was only one thing he knew.

A-Train was obsessed with winning. Ryan cared more about Compound V.

What had happened after A-Train took it was still fresh in his mind.

It really could enhance superpowers.

That effect excited Ryan. If he could study Compound V and develop a new generation of the drug,

perhaps his own powers could undergo a transformation.

He had always thought Homelander's do-as-he-pleased attitude was appealing, but what he wanted more was power on Superman's level.

Before coming to this world, Ryan had seen people praise Superman whenever he browsed social media.

The praise could be a little over-the-top.

They said that once Superman no longer had Krypton as a weakness, he was no mere man. He was a god among men.

That was what Ryan longed for. But first, he had to get his hands on Compound V.

And A-Train was still his way to get it. Ryan stopped walking.

"How soon can your Female get you another dose?"

"The day after tomorrow. Come with me to pick it up."

A-Train nodded and gave him that promise. He watched Ryan leave the ground and rise higher and higher.

Truth be told, he envied people who could fly.

No matter how long he ran, he was still stuck on the ground. Besides, A-Train knew his speed was nowhere near the level of the Speed Force.

Wishing would not change that. On the deserted highway, A-Train watched Ryan fly away.

Only then did his whole body relax. He sprawled on the ground without a care for appearances.

He spread his arms and legs.

"I guess I'm not cut out for The Seven anymore. Shockwave chasing me, Ryan chasing me... When did I stop being the fastest?"

No one answered him.

Only the wind blew across the highway in passing gusts.