Bed Check

Bed check meant inspecting a dorm room for cleanliness.

A-Train looked at the newcomer, then at the door. He figured that if he kept running his mouth, he might end up like the door.

He was trying to think of something friendly to say when the woman beside him snapped.

"Bed check? This is breaking and entering. I could go rat-a-tat-tat on you with my Taser."

"You can try."

Ryan spoke without concern. He knew how tough he was now.

Ordinary firearms were a joke. Even a Nuclear Bomb would not hurt him if he got clear of the center of the blast.

He stepped toward The Female, and she backed away in fear.

A-Train moved between them before Ryan could get close.

He did more than block Ryan. He even said something downright manly.

"Don't start here. You'll disturb the neighbors."

"Where, then?"

"This place has a basement. No matter how rough it gets, nobody outside will hear a thing. You can listen to her beg all you want."

The Female nearly lost her mind. She had sometimes thought A-Train was unreliable, but she had never imagined he was this bad.

Now, even huddled behind A-Train, she did not feel safe.

Ryan was young, but somehow the sight of him put her under pressure.

A-Train, meanwhile, kept her behind him despite what he had just said.

He went on.

"Could you go easy on her? She's my woman. We've been together a long time."

The Female saw how meek A-Train had become. Her years in show business had taught her to go with the flow, and she quickly changed her attitude.

Putting on a friendly face, she stepped out from behind A-Train. She glanced nervously at Ryan, then asked A-Train,

"Who is he? Why are you..."

"His name is Ryan."

"Ryan? The coworker you're always talking about, the one who hits people at the drop of a hat?"

"Yeah, that's him."

Ryan heard every word. He had never imagined that was how other people saw him.

Hadn't he always been pretty gentle?

Puzzled, Ryan looked around the house. With X-Ray Vision, nothing could hide from him.

Unfortunately, even after looking twice, he found none of the blue liquid he wanted.

He turned back to The Female.

"Where's the Compound V?"

"Compound V?"

The Female froze for a moment before answering, bewildered.

"I just drank the last dose. If you want it, you'll have to wait for me to piss it out."

"I want it straight from the vial."

By The Female's account, the blue liquid had already been processed into warm yellow liquid.

Ryan had no idea what use that would be to him. He looked at A-Train.

"You said you'd get me Compound V."

A-Train heard the urgency in his voice. He did not know why Ryan was so anxious, but he answered honestly, confused himself.

"The Female can get three doses tomorrow night."

"Three?"

"She needs one for herself, I need one for running, and the last one's yours."

So he could not get it until tomorrow. Ryan frowned as he considered his schedule.

Madelyn was unlikely to give him much time to think.

Besides, something else had caught Ryan's interest.

"The Female, where do you get your Compound V?"

"Ask A-Train."

Ryan looked at A-Train. Under his gaze, A-Train gave in.

"There's a storeroom for Compound V in a noodle shop in Battery District, but it's empty right now."

"Where does it come from?"

Ryan pressed for a clear answer, and A-Train did not hold anything back.

"Supe Charity. Every year, Vought International promotes the idea that Supes are a gift from God. Ezekiel handles their charity publicity, and he's connected to the Compound V getting out."

"Ezekiel."

The familiar name made Ryan repeat it a few times. His Supe memory soon brought it back.

When Billy and Hughie first met, they had gone into a bar. The Rubber Man lounging on a sofa with someone on either side of him had been Ezekiel.

It looked like Ryan needed to find him.

He asked A-Train directly.

"Where is he?"

A-Train did not seem to know that either.

"He travels around preaching how great Supes are. I don't know which state he's speaking in right now, but he'll be back in a few days."

"Back to Seven Tower?"

"Yeah."

A-Train gave him a definite answer.

With news of Ezekiel's return, Ryan decided to wait for him there.

He glanced at the gaping doorway and felt a little awkward.

"Sorry about that. You two carry on."

With that, Ryan left. Staying would accomplish nothing, and since A-Train had said tomorrow, he would wait.

A-Train and The Female looked at each other.

The Female was the first to look away.

"What am I supposed to do tonight? I'm a beautiful former star. Some criminal's bound to break in and have his way with me."

A-Train did not take the bait.

"That criminal exists in your imagination. Besides, you're the Supe The Female. A criminal wouldn't stand a chance against you."

"So that's why you're straightening your clothes and turning to leave?"

"There's something more important I need to do."

"More important than me?"

The Female sounded hurt and looked miserable.

It was a trick she often used. Usually, no man could resist softening and staying with her.

A-Train hesitated, but then headed for the doorway again.

"I need to find Ryan. He probably hasn't taken off yet."

Can't find the book by title? Try searching for the author. It may have been renamed!

"You're leaving me for a man?"

"It's important."

The Female was speechless. She glanced at the LCD screen beside her.

It was off, its black surface reflecting her figure.

Her hair was short and neat, her face kept youthful by expensive cosmetics. Below that were her ample curves.

Yet A-Train had left all of it behind to chase after a man.

The Female watched him go, his back disappearing through the empty doorway. She felt hollow inside.

Dejected, she collapsed onto the soft sofa. She was alone in the room now.

She could think about things that were hers to think about alone.

She and A-Train had been together too long. His coldness was probably a sign that he was tired of her. It was time to think about retirement.

The Female knew her daily expenses were anything but Supe-sized.

While she worried about retirement, A-Train caught up with Ryan outside just as Ryan was about to take off.

Ryan was a little surprised. Every time A-Train appeared, he arrived like a gust of wind.

Only when the wind stirred Ryan's hair could he make out the man in the blue tracksuit stopping before him.

Ryan looked at A-Train, wondering what he wanted.

"Want to race me again?"

"No."

A-Train shook his head and remembered last night.

Someone had flown off alone, nice and comfortable, while he had run back to the city along a road in the middle of nowhere, with the night wind blowing in his face.

It had hardly been a pleasant experience.

But he had come to Ryan about something else.

"Come watch my race, Ryan."

As he spoke, A-Train pulled a ticket from his pocket.

A slogan was printed on it.

(A-Train versus Shockwave: Who Will Be the Fastest Man?)

Ryan had no interest in a contest of speed. He waved it off.

"Boring. I'd rather watch a real fight."

"You might enjoy watching, but the people fighting would actually get hurt."

Even so, Ryan could not work up any interest in watching Supes run.

When people with superpowers ran, ordinary spectators could barely follow their movements. All they would really know was who won and who lost.

A-Train saw it differently. He kept trying to persuade Ryan.

"Don't you want to see Compound V in action again? On race day, Shockwave won't even know what beat him."

"He'll lose to you cheating."

"Ryan, you're not going to report me, are you?"

"Hard to say."

But there was no reward for reporting him. Ryan could almost picture Madelyn scolding him for not knowing better if he did.

To the public, The Seven were a single unit. If A-Train's dirty secret came out, the rest of them would suffer too.

Beside the street, A-Train glanced at the sky and invited Ryan to lunch.

Ryan did not refuse. He still needed A-Train to supply him with Compound V, and he had time for a meal.

Lunch was simple and plain.

At first, as Ryan walked down the street with A-Train, he thought the man would take him to some fancy restaurant.

Instead, A-Train bought a few burgers at a convenience store and handed him one.

Ryan looked at it. It was a burger with ham and cheese, the kind five dollars could buy two or three of.

He took a bite.

"Are you saving up to buy a house? This is what you're having for lunch?"

"It tastes good."

A-Train answered with a look that said price had nothing to do with flavor.

They ate as they walked, with A-Train leading the way.

After a while, they arrived.

A-Train stopped, having finished his burger. He dropped the wrapper into a trash can and looked ahead.

A long running track stretched before them, seeming to gleam in the gentle afternoon sun.

On the grass beside it, someone in a white tracksuit waved to A-Train. He seemed to have been waiting a while.

"Hey, little bro! Come on over."

Ryan looked at the man. He bore some resemblance to A-Train.

Ryan asked A-Train,

"Who's that guy who looks like he's related to you?"

"He is related to me."

A smile spread across A-Train's face as he spoke. Ryan noticed it, but it also reminded him of Robin, whom Hughie could not stop thinking about.

Robin had been Hughie's girlfriend. A-Train had killed her by running into her, and Hughie still had not been doing well.

Ryan had always thought A-Train was scum.

But after seeing him protect The Female and treat his family with warmth, Ryan realized something.

A-Train was scum with feelings.

Beside the track, A-Train's brother had no such thoughts. He ran over to A-Train.

After a few words of greeting and catching up, he looked at A-Train with encouragement written all over his face.

"You won't lose to Shockwave. You've been running since you were a kid, running and running. I've watched you beat so many people along the way to earn your place in The Seven."

The words were simple, but they moved A-Train. Then he saw his brother pick up a stopwatch.

"Let's see how much faster you've gotten."

"Okay."

A-Train nodded and crouched at the starting line. Beside him, his brother raised the stopwatch.

Then came the command: "Go!"

Ryan watched from the sidelines. A-Train's starting stance, the rhythm of his strides, even the way he breathed as he ran—

All of it was impressive.

Ryan wasn't an expert, but even he could see how good A-Train was.

After a while, A-Train completed several laps of the track.

When he came to a stop, his brother stepped forward and handed him some water.

A-Train looked supremely confident.

"That's how the fastest man alive runs."

His brother glanced at the stopwatch in his hand and nodded.

"You used to be the fastest man alive. You're a little slower now."