Better Late Than Never

On the track, Shockwave and A-Train crouched at the starting line.

They gazed down the sunlit track, trading friendly words.

A-Train spoke first.

"Lose, and you can crawl home and cry to your parents, you little shit."

Shockwave took the bait without getting angry.

"How about we bet a leg? Loser gets his sawed off right here. I'll pay for the saw."

"I can already picture the miserable rest of your life in a wheelchair."

A-Train shook his head dismissively. Beside the track, the Starter raised his gun.

Before he could fire, a commotion broke out in the stands and drew everyone's attention.

Shockwave and A-Train turned to see Homelander hovering beside the stands, impossible to miss.

His cape billowed in the wind, and in the sunlight, he seemed to shine.

He was the source of the commotion. The crowd seemed more interested in Homelander than the race. The moment he appeared, all their cheers and shouts went to him.

The competitors on the track got only a scattered few cries of encouragement.

A-Train was annoyed. This race would decide his and Shockwave's futures, yet another superhero had stolen the spotlight.

If Homelander weren't beyond his reach, A-Train would have punched him.

On the track, Shockwave seemed to feel the same way. Both superheroes spat rudely on the ground.

"Shit."

Venting did them no good. Beside the track, the Starter aimed his gun at the sky.

Then he covered his ears.

Bang! A-Train and Shockwave vanished from the starting line. To ordinary eyes, only afterimages remained on the track.

But Ryan was in the stands. A superhuman himself, he leaned alone against the railing and watched them run.

A-Train led Shockwave by no more than the length of a van, but Shockwave couldn't close the gap.

No matter how hard he ran, he couldn't make up that distance.

In the end, A-Train broke the tape at the finish line.

The winner was clear.

The commentator sounded as thrilled as if he had won the race himself.

"There he is—the fastest man alive, and a member of The Seven! Let's hear it for him! A-Train is the fastest!"

The commentator's voice over the loudspeakers drew the crowd's attention back from Homelander to the finish line.

There, A-Train clenched his fist in triumph.

Though many hadn't seen what happened, the people in the stands began cheering for him, cheering for the champion.

As for the runner-up...

Shockwave looked at A-Train.

"You won this time, but next time—"

"A bet's a bet. Don't tell me you're backing out."

A-Train had no intention of giving Shockwave a next time. He regarded him with the composure of a victor.

"I'm generous. You can pick the left leg or the right."

"..."

That frightened Shockwave. He took a step back, then remembered how fast he could run. Why not just bolt?

He turned and took off.

But after only a few steps, he slammed into something as solid as a wall and bounced onto the ground.

Shockwave scrambled up, crying out in pain.

"Who the fuck dares stand in Shockwave's way?"

"I fucking do."

Ryan pointed at himself and approached Shockwave.

A-Train, meanwhile, didn't seem concerned about Shockwave escaping. Reporters' microphones and the crowd's calls surrounded him.

He was too delighted to tear himself away.

Hardly anyone came to console Shockwave. Ryan hadn't come to console him either.

"Shockwave. Come have a word."

Ryan pointed to the Dark Tunnel leading into the stadium. Sunlight couldn't reach inside, leaving it cool and dim.

Shockwave didn't want to follow him, but when Ryan swept a ring of laser fire around his feet, he became much more cooperative.

He followed Ryan into the tunnel without protest.

Confusion crept over him.

"What do you want with me? I'm just the guy who lost."

"I want you to join The Seven."

"You can decide that?"

"If I vouch for you, Homelander, The Deep, and even A-Train will agree. We can talk Madelyn around, too."

Almost everyone who grew up in this country knew the superheroes Ryan had named.

Shockwave thought Ryan was bluffing, but his casual manner made it hard to dismiss his words.

Hesitating, he asked, "What do you need me to do? If it gets me into The Seven, I'll do anything."

"Even something disgraceful?"

"As long as nobody finds out."

"All right."

Ryan nodded and told Shockwave what he wanted done.

"Relax, Shockwave. I'm asking you to do something you could do in broad daylight."

"I'm listening."

"Follow that man."

"You mean the floating Star-Spangled Banner?"

"The man wearing the Stars and Stripes as a cape."

Shockwave looked up at the man in the sky wearing the Star-Spangled Banner as a cape. He was blond, and everyone knew his name.

That was precisely why Shockwave shook his head so hard.

"No way. Follow Homelander? He's the most powerful superhuman in the world. He'll kill me."

"If he doesn't, A-Train will saw your leg off."

"I can run."

Shockwave patted his chest. His confident expression made Ryan laugh.

"Run to which state? You have superpowers, and you're going to live like a rat, hiding from place to place?"

After some back and forth, Shockwave's resistance began to weaken.

"Even if I follow him, I can't keep up."

"What if you had a tracker?"

"This is a lousy job."

Shockwave grimaced. He didn't seem to have any good options.

Truthfully, he wanted neither to track Homelander nor to have A-Train track him down over their bet once he had the time.

But reality had a way of forcing people to face things they would rather avoid.

With no other choice, Shockwave agreed to Ryan's request.

He still had his doubts, though. He wasn't sure Ryan was as reliable as he claimed.

Those doubts vanished when Ryan stepped out of the tunnel, said a few words to A-Train, and got him to say himself that the bet had been a joke.

Shockwave scratched his head. He had come here to race, only to lose the championship and pick up a difficult job.

Troubled, he looked up at Homelander floating over the stadium like a god.

His unease kept growing.

Ryan, on the other hand, didn't give it much thought. Homelander was hiding the doctor who had developed Compound V.

Ryan hoped Shockwave's surveillance would turn up some information.

Homelander flew too fast. The only people who might barely keep up with him were A-Train and Shockwave.

As for Ryan himself, he reckoned he was a little faster.

There was also the matter of the tracker.

Ryan touched the corner of his mouth, wondering where he could get one.