Black and White Reversed

A-Train pleaded and argued until Ashley finally agreed to take action.

When everyone present learned that the day's main event would be delayed by half an hour, they weren't happy.

Everyone except Shockwave. As the challenger, he couldn't help laughing at the sight.

Someone had pulled a stunt like this right before the race?

Whoever it was played dirty...

But excitement pushed those stray thoughts aside. Shockwave kept taking deep breaths, determined to stay in peak condition.

The fastest speedster got into The Seven. That was the unspoken rule.

For years, A-Train had held firmly to the title of fastest man.

But even he knew how history went: the new king cut off the old king's head and took the throne to the cheers of the people.

As he aged, he could only keep using Compound V to push his limits higher and secure his position.

He wasn't ready to give up his place at the top.

Now, though, that might not be up to him.

"Our analysis shows that this picture is fake."

Ashley, Vought International's crisis manager, was back in action. She had spent countless hours in conference rooms figuring out how to clean up after these superheroes.

This time, the plan was to flood the conversation and steer public opinion.

Not with a statement denying the rumor.

Instead, they circulated a version of the photo that differed slightly from the original, with a few telltale signs of editing.

Everyone knew The Female liked posing for photos, so a few sexy shots of her were hardly unusual.

And A-Train was her former boyfriend from their teen idol group days, now one of the biggest stars in The Seven.

Before long, the story that The Female was chasing publicity had spread across social media. People mocked her for thinking she had a chance.

Past her prime and desperate for attention, she was trying to ride the coattails of her ex-boyfriend, now a superstar?

The merciless ridicule drowned out any questions that might have arisen and turned everyone's attention to The Female instead.

An obscure but beautiful superheroine.

And those who had the original photo?

They were buried beneath the noise.

At home, The Female had been about to watch her boyfriend's race.

She still held on to a faint hope that A-Train would acknowledge their relationship in public.

But just as she took a sip of whiskey, an emergency bulletin appeared on the screen, making her spit it out.

"You know, A-Train, if this happens again, it won't matter how many records you break. You won't have a place here."

Madelyne was blunt over the phone. A-Train's presence on the team also represented racial diversity.

As a source of pride for people of color, he couldn't publicly pursue a relationship that didn't appeal to the masses just because of his feelings.

Vought International would have been far happier to see him with someone who ticked a few more minority boxes.

"Let me clear something up. The Female and I have barely kept in touch since the group broke up. I'm still single, and the girls can't keep up with me."

A-Train hadn't even had time to change into his suit. He had thrown on his goggles and come out in the clothes he'd arrived in.

The Female crushed the glass in her hand.

"Son of a beach!"

Fuming, The Female went back and forth over what to do, then took out the Compound V she had stored away.

She couldn't touch that bastard superstar, and she couldn't fight Vought International's media machine.

She had secretly been pleased when she first saw the picture spreading, only for A-Train to break her heart.

The insults online hadn't stopped. Parodies had even begun circulating on YouTube.

She needed a dose of blue liquid to shut out the clamor of the world for a while.

Through her tears, The Female knew that clinging to a man the way she had could only have ended with her being cast aside.

"Marvin, Butcher, we're done here. We can pull out."

"That's it?"

Butcher was still puzzled. If this was the bombshell, they might as well stay and watch the race.

Whether the rattled A-Train could still put up a good time was an interesting question.

"Take Frenchie to The Female's apartment."

"Right!" Marvin caught on at once.

"That bag of hers is just the right size for a syringe. If we find Compound V there, it'll be a major breakthrough for us!"

Excited, Marvin led Butcher toward the car. Frenchie and Rorschach had already made it out of the ventilation duct.

"Who the hell are you?"

Frenchie looked at Rorschach with fear in his eyes.

One moment he had been there; the next, he was inside a pitch-black cabinet.

Frenchie had come within a hair's breadth of coming out of the closet for the first time in his life.

Then news about The Female drew away the approaching footsteps, and soon he was back in the ventilation duct.

He had no idea what had happened to him.

"You'll find out." Rorschach smiled at him. The sound of his palm striking his own was so soft that Frenchie didn't notice.

Frenchie was a cold-blooded killer. At least, he used to be.

But looking at Rorschach now, he felt a fear he hadn't known in a long time.

The man was like a precision instrument, examining them from head to toe.

Being seen straight through and used as a tool felt awful. They were living, breathing people.

Frenchie had once thought Butcher combined charisma with being a complete bastard.

But beside Rorschach, the man before him felt truly terrifying.

"Go with them. I'll have a look around here."

Rorschach didn't know whether Butcher and Homelander had locked eyes, or whether Homelander had noticed anything unusual.

None of that mattered.

What mattered was that Rorschach might be about to break another of Homelander's supports.

Homelander had committed more than enough evil. Rorschach didn't mind adding a new twist to the misery ahead of him.

After all, Homelander's victims never saw disaster coming. When it came for him in turn,

he wouldn't get any warning either.

At that moment, A-Train frowned as he injected a syringe of Compound V into his body.

He couldn't afford a mistake this time. His career couldn't end here.

Clinging to that resolve, A-Train closed his eyes as power surged through him once more.

"What are you thinking about, bro?"

His brother and coach's voice brought him back. A-Train opened his eyes and grinned.

"Nothing. I was feeling Mom's spirit."

Their mother had died young. His brother had taken on the burden of supporting them early and had become his coach to help him train.

A-Train had a great deal of respect for his older brother.

"Are you sure you're okay? If she's a good woman, you should go public with the relationship and do right by her."

"Bro, that was back when we debuted together in the group. I'm really not with her."

A-Train brushed the question aside and went into the locker room to put on his suit.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the showdown between the fastest men in the world is about to begin!"