Chapter 5: A-Train's Folly
"I can't believe the government doesn't even trust us after what we have done for this country!" A-Train complained as he looked at the new law put by Congress that morning. All members of the Seven except Lamp Lighter were present.
"All Superheroes are expected to co-operate with the Superhero Task Force when under investigation. Any act that proves to be a threat to them and the country will be treated as a hostile attempt to hinder investigations and will be met with extreme repecursions!" Translucent read. "This is bullshit! Do s this mean we just became the government's bitch?"
"What we should be worried about is all the things we have done! Everything nasty little thing we have done in the name of hero work are now about to be exposed by this Homelander wannabe!" Queen Maeve said.
"How did they even make a Super? I thought Vought was the only one able to?" A-Train asked. Maeve, Black Noir, Translucent and The Deep suddenly looked at him, question marks about to float above their heads as Homelander gave him a murderous look. A-Train involuntarily cupped his mouth but this just made the others even more curious. Homelander was about to speak when the door was opened and in came Daryl. Everyone was surprised to see him while Homelander felt another emotion that he hasn't felt, jealousy.
"Good, you are all here. I had to fly all the way from California, three minutes straight to get here as fast as I could," Daryl said then walked to the window panels behind Homelander. "What a view! It doesn't beat the view from flying, but still, what a view!"
"The Seven are having a private meeting and I will ask you to leave right away!" Maeve said after she saw the look on Homelander's face. Daryl turned and looked at her, a smile blooming on his face.
"Queen Maeve, of all the heroes in this room, I admire you the most. Being the only woman in this team must make your life difficult, doesn't it? You have opinions that they don't listen to? Missions you don't approve? Things they make you do that are not per your moral code?" Daryl asked as he went behind her and put his hands on her chair. Maeve became slightly uncomfortable especially having someone who is as strong as Homelander behind her, acting all casual but still deadly.
"Are you investigating us?" Translucent asked. He had his glasses on which was the only thing that showed where he was. Daryl looked at him.
"I have had an incident reported to me about an invisible man who was peeping on some models changing two years back. Do you know someone else with the ability to turn himself invisible, Translucent?" Daryl asked, making his eyes meet his. Translucent was quite spooked and quickly removed his glasses but Daryl's eyes were still on his. "I can hear your heart beating faster and faster, it might as well be a volcano erupting in my ears."
"What do you want?" Homelander suddenly asked, making Daryl lose interest with Translucent and look at him.
"My superiors sometimes forget how intelligent I am, Homelander. One of the things I picked up fast besides fighting and killing is the ability to read people. Since I got in, I have spent 0.58 seconds to look at you and hold a profile for all of you. It has been my dream since my taskforce was created four days ago to take down the Seven and I have to say, even if I do not interfere, you are all tearing yourself up from the inside! I have already predicted who will be the first to crack." Daryl turned towards A-Train then his eyes glowed a blue as he activated his X-Ray vision. He smiled when he saw what he wanted to see then looked at the Deep. "But I am a little confused between you two."
"Are you saying we will betray the Seven?" the Deep asked defensively as he got up.
"You two have the weakest psyche here. The only person I can't quite figure out is you, Black Noir. But, from your posture, your dressing and your way of arranging weapons, I would guess you have discipline, that makes you a soldier, but whose soldier?" Daryl asked. Black Noir was slowly going for his blades beneath the desk.
"Anyway, my other reason for coming here is to tell you that I might be needing your cooperation to investigate some supers," Daryl said.
"You want us to betray other superheroes and smear our names in dirt?" Maeve asked him.
"You are everyone's role models, including other heroes. When they see you cooperating with us, I won't have to rip out their legs to make sure they don't run," Daryl answered, scaring them. "Besides, they can't even outrun me, I am the fastest man alive." While he was saying this, he gave A-Train a side glance. The hero felt rage boil inside him as he clenched his fist.
"Anyway, I have places to be, heroes to catch and crimes to investigate," Daryl said and he was gone.
"Well, he's fast," the Deep said as the atmosphere was quite dense. Homelander suddenly slapped the table, breaking it in two.
"Do you have something to say, Deep? Do your fish breath have something to stink us with?" Homelander growled, making everyone shrink back except Maeve who put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. He gave her a glance and she felt as if she had just been dipped in ice cold water.
"You can go, all of you and make sure you do not do those silly mistakes that will shine the spotlight at us," Homelander said as he sat back, his fingertips tapping on each other in front of his face. The five did not need to be told twice.
Popclaw gave the final moan, her body and A-Train's soaked in sweat. She gave a fulfilled sigh as her fingers played with his left nipple and her legs wrapped round his leg. She saw he was not responding to this so she went under, took his right leg then started sucking on the big toe.
A-Train moaned in pleasure and after a few seconds of sucking, he groaned and spammed in pleasure. She smiled when she saw that and went to kissing his chest. He retaliated by getting hold of her small but firm breasts and played with them. Just then, he remembered about Daryl's words and became not interested.
"Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?" she asked him. A-Train sighed as he got up without his clothes and went to the window.
"I am faster than Homelander, I confirmed this once. But this guy, Daryl, he has all Homelander's powers yet he is faster than me by a longshot," A-Train said. Popclaw came behind him and hugged him.
"Listen, you are the fastest man alive, not even him can take that away from you..."
"What if I am not? I can't go to being the second fastest man alive after everything I have done. Nobody cares for the second in place," he growled.
"I still will, always. I do not care whether you are number one or number two, you will still be mine to love," she tried to console him. A-Train suddenly shrugged her away in frustration.
"I don't want to become the second! I want to be the first, always the first!" he said then sat down. He looked up at her with apathetic eyes. "Where is my Compound V stash?"
"You want to continue taking it? Have you forgotten about this Daryl? He might come after you and with the military with a vial of Compound V, he might come to know that we use..."
"He won't see me coming because I will be the fastest man alive. Where is it?" A-Train impatiently asked. Popclaw was quite helpless because A-Train has been her rock since her addiction to Compound V and her withdrawal. She has become quite dependant on him and with that, an inferiority complex to him. She sighed helplessly as she took a medic bag behind the television. She opened it, took out a syringe and needle, inserted the needle into a blue vial and took out a few ccs before injecting it into A-Train via his left arm.
A-Train felt the rush came back as he heart beat wildly. His perception of everything around him slowed down. In a second, he was wearing his suit and was out of the building. He started racing round the city, his speed increasing each time. His determination to surpass Daryl making him push his limits so hard it was like his body was an infinity adrenaline production line.
Everything becam blurry to the point even he could not see what was going on, only things that were three feet away from him. That's why he did not see a young girl standing on the curb and smashed into her before he could stop. He had to stop twenty feet away, his whole body covered with blood but the whole street painted red. He turned around, a pit feeling in his stomach. He saw a young man who was still holding the severed hands of the girl, his right face side covered with her blood. The young man slowly turned to look at him, his eyes not quite believing what just happened. A-Train could see his whole life flashing before his eyes.
"No...No...No! This...This can't happen, not now! I have to go! I have to go!" he stuttered then took off, breaking the sound barrier with his fourth step, breaking the windows of every car he passed. The young man turned to look at the severed hands he was still holding intimately.
"Robin?" he called out. "ROOBIIIIN!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone