289 The Boys: The Desperation of A-Train, Butcher Hunting and The Price of Wearing a Cape.
A-Train had reached its peak. With a superpower as formidable as super speed, it was only a matter of time before he rose among the hundreds of supers, and indeed, that was how it happened.
Winning competitions, setting world records, and soon finding himself surrounded by fans and Vought's support, his life transformed from being plagued by his mother's death and a troubled past to one of luxury, comfort, and a bright future with his brother's support.
One day, he was declared the fastest man in the world...
When he thought he had achieved everything, the final surprise came when A-Train saw his "destiny" fulfilled by being accepted into The Seven.
To understand this context, one must grasp that there are hundreds of supers, each with different abilities... some better than others, but The Seven are the best team. There is no debate, as Homelander leads them.
A-Train knew that his position would make countless people envious.
He also knew that Vought didn't mess around. As long as he proved his worth, he could do whatever he wanted, literally whatever he desired, without consequences.
He learned this the first time he killed someone. Instead of being condemned and handed over to the authorities, Vought covered up his crime and gave him a mild reprimand.
A-Train wanted to believe he wasn't a monster, but inevitably, he was seduced by the power of being above the law.
But as the famous saying goes, "Once you're at the top, you can only fall."
A-Train was different from Starlight or Maeve. At the time, he accepted the reality of the world with gusto. However, what affected him was the pressure of being part of The Seven. He saw how Lamplighter and Jack The Jupiter ended up.
A-Train felt the knife at his throat and realized that Madelyn might forgive him even if he killed people, but she wouldn't hesitate to discard him if someone better came along.
A-Train, along with Homelander, began secretly taking out Compound V. Initially, it was part of Homelander's experiment. However, A-Train discovered that Compound V doesn't just grant powers to a regular human, it enhances the abilities of a super in a short period.
A-Train couldn't resist the temptation and tried it. He became faster, much faster than he had ever been before... but this power came at a cost. It created a powerful effect comparable to heroin or ecstasy.
A-Train became addicted. The worst part was the emergence of Shockwave, a new speedster who was experiencing what A-Train had once gone through. Shockwave's fame grew exponentially as records were broken, including a few of A-Train's.
A-Train remembered how Jack The Jupiter was replaced, and it was for a very simple and cruel reason: appearance.
Jack The Jupiter was a parody of DC's Martian Manhunter and Shazam, as his powers activated by shouting "Carpo." He was hairless, with orange skin and a dry, wrinkled appearance, but more than anything, he was skinny and unappealing. When Translucent, with his diamond-like skin, appeared, Jack The Jupiter was relegated. In terms of power, Jack was stronger and his abilities were more useful, but he was ousted because of his appearance.
A-Train felt the pressure. The new speedster could take his place. However, with the help of Compound V, Shockwave would never be a threat... or so he thought.
...
One day, A-Train began to experience chest pain after using Compound V. He didn't need to see a doctor to know something was wrong with his body.
However, he was caught off guard by the effects of the Compound one day and ended up killing someone. He was then beaten by a villain, which made him look foolish in front of the public. As if that wasn't enough, when he went to his favorite hangout spot to relax, the place was destroyed by the same bastard.
Two failures in one day. Out of fear, A-Train avoided going to Vought for a couple of days, he regrets this decision because the building was attacked and his teammates were defeated.
...
In the office, just seeing Madelyn's face, A-Train could tell how serious the situation was.
"You're going to race against Shockwave…"
"Wait, what?! But why?!"
Madelyn smiled, expressing her displeasure and contempt.
"You've proven to be as fast as you are incompetent. We made a mistake focusing more on aesthetics than capability. Now we have a useless The Deep, a traitor Starlight, a dead Translucent... and apparently, a not-so-fast speedster."
"I'm the fastest!! I hold the world record!!"
Madelyn did not get upset but her gaze became colder. "For now... Shockwave seems motivated to surpass you, and I've heard he's already broken two of your records…"
A-Train swallowed hard, realizing he had yelled at Madelyn Stillwell.
"I'm sorry... If a race is necessary to prove that I have always been and will always be the fastest, then so be it, I will do it and I will win."
"I hope so…"
A-Train left the office, leaving Madelyn silent. He wasn't aware that Madelyn knew about his activities with Compound V. At this point, firing A-Train was risky. In revenge, A-Train could take Compound V to the CIA or someone else.
Madelyn thought that if she pushed A-Train, he would use up the remaining vials and thus could be dismissed.
...
A-Train also went to see Homelander, though he feared he might still be angry.
Entering a room, Homelander was looking out the window with his hands behind his back.
"A-Train," Homelander said without turning around. "Do you have the Compound V?"
"Hello, well, yes... no, but I will get it back soon...."
Homelander turned around and walked towards A-Train with a smile. He then gave him a hug, which A-Train couldn't refuse, sensing the danger of doing so.
"It's no secret that I didn't like you at first, whether it was that blue suit or your skin color... but you've proven to be a useful and reliable man..."
"I know... I'm sorry, for everything!"
Homelander tightened his grip on A-Train and spoke in a low, menacing voice. "A-Train, the experiment is canceled. We can't risk another albino showing up... so let's forget everything that happened until now and recover all the Compound V in your possession..."
A-Train felt he was running out of air. Homelander could easily tear him apart in this position, and of course, he was aware of it. Most likely, he did it to emphasize his point.
"Understood, I won't fail…"
Homelander smiled and let A-Train go.
"You're lucky, a fool, a dead man, a traitor, and a Maeve..." Homelander picked up a glass of red wine from the table. "The Seven are going through tough times, and we have a real threat at hand... what a shame... however, I trust Black Noir and I'd like to say the same about you... as long as those legs don't fail you."
"What do you mean?!" A-Train asked, still nervous.
Homelander laughed. "Just do what I asked... and good luck in your race. Remember, only the best get the glory of standing by my side!"
A-Train left the room, sweating. He wasn't sure if Homelander knew about his condition, but he knew that A-Train was sweating Compound V.
A-Train returned to his girlfriend's apartment, where she, apart from Homelander, was the only one who knew about his situation.
...
Returning to the present, A-Train was focused on retrieving the remaining Compound V.
A-Train looked at the vials. There weren't many, but they should be enough to keep Homelander satisfied.
A-Train got up and kissed his girlfriend goodbye.
...
The Boys watched all this with interest. They had A-Train and the Compound V so close.
"Butcher, do you want Allen to steal Compound V from A-Train?" MM asked.
Allen didn't give his opinion and shrugged. He would let Butcher decide, as after Allen's actions of taking Starlight and saving the plane, it was too late to worry about altering the canon.
As for the consequences of taking Compound V from A-Train, it would ruin his career and he could be expelled from The Seven, replaced by Shockwave.
"No... I want more involvement..." Butcher said, surprising everyone.
Butcher is like a wild hyena when he discovers a weakness in his prey. He stops laughing and attacks. But this time, he didn't.
"Don't look at me like that. We have the guy, so we shouldn't be that desperate. Catching A-Train will only make that idiot Shockwave take his place. If we don't manage to affect Vought and Homelander, it would be a waste."
Rick – That was unexpected *burp* it seems he's thinking with a cooler head this time.
Felicia – It makes sense. Butcher is a mortal facing a god, so he only makes risky and dangerous decisions. However, with Allen by his side, someone who can confront Homelander, Butcher doesn't need to be such a jerk and suicidal in his actions.
The group looked at each other, and no one objected.
A-Train had left his girlfriend's apartment to prepare for the race the next morning.
The Ezekiel event would be in the afternoon, and A-Train's race was in the morning. Allen knew this was also his fault for affecting the event timings and making the whole chronology useless.
Gwen – Even if the event dates change, the fact that they will happen is good for preparation, right?
Nokotan – 'Hmm, a race... I wonder if I could participate too~'
[I.M] "Why?"
Nokotan – 'Allen-tan, don't you know what's the greatest characteristic of deers?'
[I.M] "Oh, their agility and speed... but you have a girl's body, don't you?"
Nokotan – 'No!~ Allen-tan, are you interested in my body?!~'
"..." Allen regretted asking in the first place.
The boys went their separate ways with MM and Frenchie staying behind to spy on Popclaw.
...
Oasis-class cruise ships are essentially floating cities, with theaters, lounges, casinos, recreational areas, tennis courts, basketball courts, and many other amenities.
Oasis in The Seas is a very famous and popular cruise ship, often favored by those traveling to the Caribbean.
In the middle of a cruise route to CocoCay in the Bahamas, they were caught off guard by a tropical depression.
The captain of the cruise ship appeared anxious. After forty years of experience at sea, he trusted his instincts greatly. However, this time he was pressured to set sail because a grand celebration was planned in CocoCay, as the son of Sultan Saladino II was getting married.
As with any oil-rich Sultan, it was hard to refuse their requests. Despite many objections, the cruise set sail. The Sultan's generosity was notable, as he decided to cover the entire stay of the tourists. It was a pleasant surprise; the Sultan was generous and decided to share his happiness instead of renting the entire cruise ship for himself and his guests, which made headlines around the world.
The captain noticed that the depression was slowly turning into a storm, making him nervous. He left the bridge, accompanied by several people.
"There is a large amount of warm water on the ocean surface," said the captain. This is the primary source of energy for hurricanes.
"The atmosphere is very unstable," continued the captain. This means there are significant temperature and humidity differences in the atmosphere, which can promote the development of severe storms.
"...Wind shear is low."
"Captain?!"
"What do we do?!"
At this point, everyone understood. Wind shear is the change in wind speed and direction with height. When wind shear is low, storms can organize more easily and develop into hurricanes.
The captain's instincts were right. They would be trapped in the middle of a massive hurricane.
Due to the size of these cruise ships, sinking is rare, but at the same time, they are slow, making it difficult to escape from storms and hurricanes.
The captain changed course to distance himself as much as possible before the hurricane reached Category 3, where it would start producing giant waves.
Unfortunately, they didn't succeed. Just as the captain's instincts had predicted, all the conditions for a massive hurricane formed quickly, and Oasis in The Seas found itself in the middle of it.
This news spread worldwide because the life of the Sultan's son and his generous act had attracted everyone's attention.
...
Hours passed, and the hurricane prevented the cruise ship from moving away due to the intense waves. Here, the captain's experience was evident as he skillfully guided the cruise through the wild seas. Over time, the hurricane intensified, reaching Category 4 and threatening to become a Category 5.
The sea was terrifying. A floating city like the cruise ship seemed invincible against the waves, but when you realized the waves were bigger than the ship itself, you remembered that 75% of the surface was water.
The captain had just crossed a wave head-on, causing minimal damage to the ship by absorbing the impact correctly. The crew didn't feel any joy as another wave, as large as a building, approached from the right, making it impossible to align with the incoming waves.
"Captain!"
"DAMN YOU, POSEIDON!!!"
...
Allen arrived at his apartment after discovering A-Train's secret. Although Allen already knew.
Tomorrow would be A-Train's famous race against Shockwave. Homelander would be present, and The Deep seemed to have recovered. Allen snorted, feeling he should have hit him harder.
Annie and Kimiko went shopping for clothes. It was curious how Kimiko didn't want to accompany her, but since Annie didn't treat her badly, she ended up tagging along with a scowl on her face.
Allen thought it was a shame because he was going to share the good news with both women. Although Annie didn't show it, she felt useless here and wanted to go out and be what she had always wanted to be, partly due to Allen, who was literally making it happen.
Allen grabbed a soda and sat down on his couch. "I still can't believe the day has come to force myself to wear a cape... is there something wrong with the world haha...." Allen laughed despite his words he didn't seem genuinely upset.
Natasha – There was a time when you'd be upset about having to do it...
"Yeah..."
Gwen – Allen, do you still hate this?
"I never hated it... I like the idea of a world where someone can help others in situations that would otherwise end in tragedy like in a fire or earthquake collapses... but..."
Allen smiled weakly as he remembered...
In terms of deeds, stopping Doomsday, Loki, and Darkseid, saved more people than simply avoiding a plane crash. But Allen could remember all the gratitude those people on the plane had shown him. Their lives were now directly influenced by him, and that emotional and moral burden made him feel overwhelmed.
"Breaking news! It's confirmed that Hurricane Roxana has reached Category 5, and contact with Oasis in The Seas has been lost!"
Allen got up, sighing...
2B appeared, and Allen handed her the remote and his soda. She bowed.
"..." Clown Crown began to manifest on his body.
Rebecca smiled on his shoulder. "Haha, are you sure about this, it's not outside the U.S.?~"
Vought had made it clear they didn't help anyone outside their borders.
Allen raised an eyebrow. "What does that matter?"
Mini Bocchi opened the window. As she removed the lock, the air pushed her, and Nokotan caught her. Both smiled and floated towards Allen.
Timcampy stood on Allen's other shoulder.
The cape fluttered in the wind. Allen smiled and jumped, disappearing almost instantly. As he soared through the sky, he accelerated more and more, surpassing the speed of sound several times.
Allen easily reached space and spotted the Caribbean. The hurricane was so massive that he could see it from space.
Allen was about to re-enter the atmosphere when he noticed the International Space Station and saw an astronaut watching him. Allen smiled and waved before moving on.
Astronaut – Houston... uh... you won't believe this –
Allen entered, enveloped in a faint energy aura, becoming increasingly skilled.
Allen went through the massive clouds and was hit by several lightning bolts but they did not do anything to him due to his manipulation of all types of energy.
Allen arrived at the hurricane. It looked like the end of the world with wild currents and huge waves, rain, and lightning everywhere. Allen wasn't sure where exactly the cruise ship was.
'System?'
[Yes... detecting a large number of people 17.3 miles (27.84 kilometers) east!]
Allen flew to the cruise ship. Unfortunately, it was too late. It had been hit by a massive wave, almost capsized it.
The passengers were taking refuge. So there were no human casualties yet but that was a matter of time.
Seeing the cruiser tilted at a forty-five-degree angle, Allen knew he had to do something immediately!
Allen flew to the side and touched the massive cruise ship. Allen could control all types of energy, which is why he could emulate Superman's tactile telekinesis and his biokinetic field, lesser-known powers.
The biokinetic field is a protective layer that allows Superman to approach the sun and keep his clothes intact. Tactile telekinesis allows him to lift buildings and enormous structures without them collapsing.
Allen grunted and pushed the entire cruise ship. Tactile telekinesis was like Allen could support the whole ship at once, not just applying force in one spot.
...
"Damn it!!"
"Wait, The cruise ship stopped dropping?!"
"Captain?!"
"This is impossible..."
"Captain, receiving images from the starboard!!... there's something you need to see!"
The captain approached the operator and saw the starboard cameras from different angles.
"A person?" The crew didn't understand what was happening at first.
In the US, the presence of heroes in flying suits wasn't unusual, but it was rare for the rest of the world, where supers were less common. Many thought they were just actors with special effects.
Unlike his astonished crew, the captain remained silent as he watched Allen struggle to push the cruise ship.
...
"Damn it, it's heavy!!"
Allen complained justifiably. A plane typically weighs between 40 and 90 tons, but an Oasis-class cruise ship weighs 225,000 tons. The comparison was ridiculous.
Allen has not yet developed his powers for something like this, so holding something so heavy was almost impossible and absurd!
However...
"Damn it, I have to do it!" Allen gritted his teeth. "Allen, you're here now, don't look like the idiot who came just to give up!!!"
Allen shouted as his muscles ached, his veins bulging, and his bones threatening to break!
Allen was trying to hold up not a ship but a floating city!
"Damn it!!"
===
Allen: I could very well be enjoying my day with my harem, why the fuck am I suffering?!
Author: who knows 🗿🍷
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