The Center of Attention

"Let's give a round of applause to the red-corner contender: Shock—wave!"

The announcer drew out his name as the rising star made his entrance to a chorus of cheers.

"At twenty-four years old and eighty-six kilograms, he ran the four hundred meters in a personal-best 1.44 seconds this season. That's also the fastest time any super-speed hero has recorded this season."

"Can this fearless newcomer dethrone the veteran and stun the world?"

At the announcer's call, the entire stadium erupted.

Shockwave had fewer fans than A-Train, but plenty of people were captivated by him.

Super speed wasn't A-Train's alone, after all, and everyone had different tastes.

"And in the blue corner, our defending champion: A-Train!"

An even louder wave of cheers threatened to lift the roof off the stadium. The arrival of Homelander and Queen Maeve had delighted the fans.

"Most people favor the veteran. Even at thirty-two, his personal best is a full 0.1 seconds faster than Shockwave's!"

"And my friends, at supersonic speeds, that 0.1 seconds means a lead of dozens of meters!"

"Before this race, the biggest athletic-shoe brand, Hooked, made a bold announcement: besides the prize money, the winner will receive an endorsement deal!"

"Of course, at eighty-four kilograms, A-Train is lighter on his feet and should handle the turns better."

"His performance this season has been disappointing, though, with a season best of just 1.57 seconds. But as a member of The Seven, he hasn't had much time to race. That's understandable."

"What will happen? Let's find out!"

After the rousing introduction, both racers changed into the suits they found most comfortable.

Beneath each racer's feet was a starting block carved from a single piece of stone.

"But before that, let's introduce the newest member of The Seven!"

"Starlight! And joining her is Black Noir!"

Starlight was glad she had been allowed to keep her costume, with only a few alterations that made it look a little more revealing.

When she saw Rorschach wave to her, she couldn't help giving him her most genuine smile.

Vought International truly knew how to squeeze every opportunity for profit.

"Are you ready for the race?" Homelander's voice sent the crowd into a frenzy.

"Cheer for my friend A-Train!"

Amid the cheers, Homelander muttered a curse at the crowd around him.

This, too, was at Vought International's direction.

A-Train might not have the ability to live up to his title, but he was dependable enough.

Yet Vought couldn't rig a sporting event too blatantly and shut off any chance for a newcomer to rise.

A true talent shouldn't be buried. Still, A-Train remained useful, and he was on a twenty-eighty split.

So they had turned the stadium into home turf for The Seven—or, more precisely, for A-Train.

But a true competitor wouldn't buckle under that pressure. Win this race, and all that special treatment would be his instead.

Rorschach stood among the crowd, neither cheering nor waving his arms. He looked more natural that way.

In fact, he had deliberately chosen a seat in a distant section of the stands.

This was an important occasion, but if disaster struck, Rorschach wasn't about to take the blame.

"The train is ready to leave the station!"

Even the commentator was building up A-Train. The referee, commentators, and guests were all Vought people, after all.

This was just another routine moneymaking event. There was no need to show too much favoritism, and they could give the newcomers some exposure along the way.

Still, an A-Train victory would benefit Vought International more.

His popularity also earned him that special treatment.

Before the two racers even stepped onto the track, A-Train had confetti, his own entrance music, and a label on the big screen: "The Fastest Man in the World."

Shockwave's entrance got only a short statement from him: "There's a new star in New York, and I'm ready to shake this place up."

"That's quite a home-field advantage."

As Shockwave approached, A-Train's thoughts were in turmoil. But the power coursing through his body gave him confidence.

"Racers, take your positions."

As A-Train worked to steady his breathing, he glanced at Shockwave beside him.

Shockwave sensed his gaze. Through their goggles, neither could tell what the other's eyes held.

"Ready."

The instant the starting gun fired, they both kicked back hard enough to crack the stone blocks embedded in the ground, then shot forward.

Rorschach had already slipped quietly into the farthest corner.

A-Train's suit had one distinctive feature: when he started running, it sounded a train whistle.

Rorschach had spent two uses of Unjust Game for this exact moment—to replace the part that made the sound!

The design of that part, like Translucent's carbon skin, had even been explained publicly on television.

Rorschach didn't need to make a major change. A tiny adjustment was enough.

With the suit altered, the airflow A-Train met at the start would change too.

What would happen to A-Train when he ran purely on muscle memory?

Rorschach had even given up a front-row seat to watch it happen.

Barely a second later, the big screen lit up with a replay.

A-Train's running posture looked strange, though he was still struggling forward. Behind him, Shockwave surged past and crossed the finish line first!

"The winner is Shockwave! The newcomer has done it!"

A time of 1.169 seconds flashed across the big screen, and the crowd burst into cheers.

"That's his best performance all season! Today, by pushing himself to the limit, he's broken his season record—and the world record!"

A-Train's fans stormed out, while his brother noticed something was wrong.

A-Train knelt on the ground, his face twisted in pain. But as the crowd celebrated the arrival of a new fastest man, no one paid him any attention.

"Did you see that? He was practically flying!"

The big screen kept playing spectacular footage captured by high-speed cameras. A-Train looked toward The Seven, but not one of them looked back.

"Doctor! Doctor!"

At his coach's cries, the medical team finally arrived. They lifted A-Train onto a stretcher and carried him out of the stadium.

But who cared? Such frequent changes to The Seven weren't the stability Vought wanted, but they were certainly what the public loved to see.

After all, superpowers were a gift from heaven. What if their own child could join The Seven someday?

Even a regional contract that made their child the face of a local brand would be enough.

That alone could make their extravagant dreams come true!

Having seen enough of the farce, Rorschach checked the points credited to his account and left the stadium satisfied.

Making someone feel invincible, then showing him he wasn't, was a sure way to break him.

There was still the matter of The Female to deal with.