"Don't bullshit me, Ashley," A-Train started, pressing her for answers after he saw Shockwave coming out of her room, ruining his mood for the morning.
"Shockwave was just here to talk about Vought for Tots, I swear to God," Ashley reassured him with a smile.
"What the fuck is Vought for Tots?" A-Train asked after calming down a bit, intrigued. He was a little, well, very, pressed on cash.
"It's a new fitness outrage for toddlers apparently getting obese," Ashley explained, trying to calm the agitated ex-speedster down.
"Well shit, I fucking love fat kids. Use me."
CLICK
"Good, you're here. Did you tell him yet?" Homelander asked as he entered the room. He looked in a very bad mood, instantly scaring A-Train.
"Tell me what?" A-Train asked, turning back to Ashley, his weak heart beating fast.
"I thought we were going to have a strategy meeting," Ashley muttered, completely ignoring A-Train as she pleaded with her eyes to Homelander.
"A-Train, you're out," Homelander said simply.
"Out of what?" A-Train asked, though he already knew.
"The Seven. You did great, but we're going in a different direction, so you're out," Homelander replied simply, not even looking at him.
"The fuck?" A-Train, who couldn't talk back to Homelander, turned back to Ashley. "You just said everything was fine."
"You're going to have a full year of parades, tribute concerts, you're going to hit the talk shows, you're going to have your own reality show on Vought+, plus the outpouring of love and gratitude is going to be off the charts," Ashley said. She stood up from her desk and went to grab A-Train's shoulder as she tried to calm him down, before he did something stupid as she saw him looking over at Homelander.
"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" A-Train swatted away Ashley's hand, pointing a finger right in her face. "YOU USED TO GET ME MY COFFEE!"
He whirled back to Homelander, adrenaline blinding his survival instincts for a split second. "OH, FUCK THIS. I'M NOT GOING."
"A-Train," Homelander called out softly from the side. "You can't run."
"Yes, I can run," A-Train insisted, taking a step toward Homelander, his voice turning into a desperate plea.
"Buddy, you think I don't know what's been going on?" Homelander said quietly.
Every ounce of protest died instantly in A-Train's throat. A wave of pure ice crashed over him. If Vanguard told his dad about me and Starlight... I'm dead. I'm fucking dead.
"It's your heart," Homelander said, making A-Train feel both relief and hatred at the same time. "I doubt you're even cracking the top twenty anymore, and that makes us, me and my son, look pretty ridiculous."
Homelander patted A-Train's shoulder as he walked past him. "I really want you to know, though, this has been pretty hard on me, okay? It's nothing personal. We will always be friends, and etcetera." Homelander smiled at him as he ended his little speech. "Atta boy."
A-Train's eyes followed Homelander as he left the office.
"A-Train, look, I know"
"Just shut up." A-Train ignored her as he walked over to leave the room A-Train slammed Ashley's office door shut behind him, his chest tight as he tried to process the absolute shit crashing down on him.
"Well, well, well. Look who got the boot." A-Train snapped his head up. The Deep was leaning against the hallway wall, a smug, punchable grin plastered across his face.
"Get out of my face, Deep," A-Train growled, walking past him.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that "Deep chuckled, stepping directly into his path. "I'm just saying, you shouldn't lose all hope. I mean, since you're a charity case now, maybe I can talk to my bro Vanguard for you."
A-Train stopped dead in his tracks. He glared at The Deep, trying to read his face. Was he for real?, or was he just being his usual idiot self?
"Vanguard isn't your 'bro'," A-Train finally spoke.
"Uh, yeah, he is. We're this tight," The Deep bragged, crossing his arms and looking incredibly proud of himself. "So if you need me to ask my bro to save your job. I can do that. But it's gonna cost you."
A-Train glared at him, his fists clenching. "Cost me what? I don't have the cash, Deep, and you know it."
"Oh, I know. Trust me, I don't want your sad little bank account," The Deep chuckled, stepping closer into A-Train's space. "No, what I want is respect. You're gonna look me in the eye, right now, and tell me that I am the official number three in this tower. Say it. Say, 'You're the man, Deep.'. Do that, and after that, you will do every single thing I ask you to do from now on. And then I'll take you to talk to him."
"Man, fuck you," A-Train spat.
The Deep threw his hands in the air, yelling down the hall. "See? This is why people don't help you!"
A-Train turned and walked away.
"Where are you going? The exit is that way!" Deep pointed back toward the elevators.
"I'm going to talk to Vanguard myself."
The Deep snorted, shouting after him, "Good luck with that!"
Meanwhile, in his private quarters, Erasmus lay stretched out across his lavish, massive bed. His head was resting comfortably on Stormfront's thighs as she gently combed her fingers through his hair.
He was casually flipping through various medical and history textbooks, a finished fantasy novel tossed to the side. Scattered across the nightstands were eight plates of steak and pizza, every single one of them completely cleaned off.
Cerberus and Erebus and Erasmus were also on the lavish, large bed, laying around him. Suddenly, they lifted their heads a split second before a slow knock came at the door.
Erasmus didn't say anything, but he nodded when Stormfront looked down at him. She enjoyed it when he gave her the illusion of control and authority, and it cost him absolutely nothing to let her have it.
Stormfront cleared her throat. "Come in."
The heavy door pushed open, and A-Train stepped into the lavish room.
The moment she saw him, Stormfront's face contorted into disgust. Her fingers stopped combing through Erasmus's hair. She stared at A-Train as if he were a disease that had just walked into her pristine sanctuary.
"Vanguard," A-Train started. "We need to talk man. Alone. Please."
Erasmus didn't say anything. He calmly finished the paragraph he was reading. "Give us a minute, Storm," Erasmus finally spoke.
Stormfront slid off the bed, intentionally steering wide around the speedster as if catching a glimpse of him might contaminate her.
The heavy door clicked shut behind Stormfront, leaving only the sound of the dogs' low breathing.
A-Train stood frozen for a second, rubbing the back of his neck, desperately forcing his breathing to slow down. He refused to believe Kevin could somehow be tight with this kid while he couldn't.
"Hey... Hey, Vanguard," A-Train started, trying to sound casual. "Look, man, I'm sorry to just barge in on you like this. I know you're, uh... you're busy."
He glanced nervously at the dogs, then back to Erasmus.
"Those are, uh... serious dogs, man. Beautiful. Especially that one," A-Train stammered, pointing a shaky finger toward the hound named Erasmus, trying to stroke the supe's ego.
Erasmus closed the book he was reading and set it aside He just leaned back against the pillows, his elbows resting on his knees, a smile on his face as he watched a train.
"Look, Vanguard, I'm gonna be completely real with you, man, I need a favor. A massive, life-or-death favor, and you're the only person in this entire building who can pull it off," A-Train started.
Look, Vanguard, your dad just completely blindsided me in Ashley's office. He's forcing me out of the Seven. He has this completely wrong idea that my heart is a problem, like I'm gonna crash on the track and make the whole seven look bad. But I wont, okay? It's just a temporary medical setback, that's it. I'm telling you, I am completely fine. I am literally fine."
"Is it?" Erasmus finally spoke. "Because I remember specifically asking you to fetch me Starlight's mother. And if I recall correctly, you had a heart attack and didn't even make it out of New York. Look, Reggie... I don't really care all that much about the Seven, or who gets to stay. But I highly doubt we're running a charity."
"That... that was a fluke, alright?" A-Train stammered, holding his hands up in a desperate, pleading gesture. "I was dealing with some... some bad management back then. But the Vought doctors, they got me on a completely new drugs now. It's entirely under control, I swear to God. I'm not a charity case, man. I'm an asset. Think about the global marketing, the merchandising.
Shockwave can't pull those kinds of numbers. He doesn't have the face, he doesn't have the legacy. You want Starlight's mom? You want anything else done in this tower, or in this city? Just give me a chance to make it up to you. Anything you want, I will run it down for you before you can even blink. I'm still the fastest man alive, Vanguard. You just... you gotta let me prove it to you."
"Shockwave?" Erasmus mused as he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Is that the one replacing you? Hmm. I'll have to meet him. I've been looking for a right hand, or a right leg, in a speedster's case. I need someone to actually have my back."
"I'm your man," A-Train blurted out. "I'm right here, Vanguard. Shockwave is an amateur. He's a rookie. He doesn't know how this tower works, he doesn't know how the media plays, and he damn sure doesn't know how to be your strong legs, but I do. Whatever you need done, whoever you need handled... I'm your guy. Just tell me what to do."
Erasmus paused, standing up from the bed and approaching A-Train slowly, his calm smile widening. "Hmm. Anything?"
"Anything," A-Train hit back instantly, the word slipping out of him before he could even stop to think about the consequences. He held Erasmus's gaze. "Name it, man. Truly. Anything you want, I'm your guy."
"Fine then. You should go back. I will handle it," Erasmus finally agreed.
A-Train let out a massive breath, a wave of profound relief washing over his entire body.
"Thanks man, man. Truly," A-Train said, his voice bouncing back with all his usual corporate energy as he stepped closer. "Whatever you need done in this tower, I am a hundred percent your guy. I'm on your payroll now, Vanguard. Permanently."
"You know, Reggie, I always liked you," Erasmus said, his relaxed smile widening as he opened his arms wide. "When I thought you were a traitor, it honestly broke my heart. I always used to love watching you on TV back when I was at the estate. Do you know why I was so harsh on you when we met?"
A-Train went silent, completely caught off guard. "Why?"
"When I came here and saw all of you for what you truly are... The Deep assaults Starlight. You, my superhero, turned out to be nothing but a glorified drug and Compound V distributor. Maeve is a wreck. All your saves... they were never even real." Erasmus shook his head, a faint hint of genuine disappointment in his tone. "I was really heartbroken. I wanted to hurt you all then. But then I realized, I should have never chosen a superhero. I'm my own superhero. But that's okay, because with me here, a new leaf will be turned. I promise you that."
He gestured again, his arms still open, his voice entirely smooth and welcoming. "Come here. Let's open a new page, A-Train."
A-Train froze for a microsecond, hugging anyone remotely related to Homelander felt like putting his head directly into a lion's mouth, but he'd do anything to keep his job.
Besides, looking at Erasmus, he couldn't perceive the boy as a real, immediate danger. He's just a kid, A-Train thought.
"Absolutely. Fresh slate, new page," A-Train said, forcing a somber, deeply touched tone as he stepped in, pretending to be moved by the kid's speech. "You won't regret this, Vanguard. I swear to God. We're locked in. Whatever you need, I got you."
A-Train wrapped his arms around the boy, tapping his back in a classic bro-hug. After a beat, A-Train tried to casually pull back, dropping his arms to end the embrace.
But his torso didn't move an inch. Erasmus's arms stayed locked around him. The kid wasn't letting go.
CRACK.
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Hey everyone! The author here.
I wanted to let you know that I've officially set up a Patreon. If anyone feels like supporting me and the story, you can check it out! Just a heads-up: there won't be any advanced chapters or special perks locked behind a paywall. It is strictly a tip jar for pure donations if you want to support my writing journey.
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With only 4 people, one dedicated day of the week belongs entirely to you. On your day, your writing, your plots, and your drafts take priority. I will literally sit down and help you write.
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