Revive awakened when Chloe touched down.

The thud was loud.

It was much less than the force she used to land with but it was too loud for any stealth operations.

The Speedster opened his eyes to darkness.

He felt the hands holding him, wrap him tighter for a moment as if afraid he would leap out of her arms.

Then, Chloe relinquished her hold, setting him down on something hard – it was a log.

“Smells like the outdoors?” Revive commented, shifting himself into a seated position on the log.

“It is,” Chloe’s voice replied.

“You do know I can’t see in the dark?” The Speedster questioned.

“Won’t be dark for much longer,” Chloe took his hand and pointed in a specific direction. “Do you mind just sending a bit of lightning that way?”

Revive shrugged and complied, creating a spark on his finger and tossing it to the right.

The spark became a burn…

The burn ignited atop the wood and became a fire.

It was a small fire but it brightened everything enough for Revive to see where he was.

“A campout?”

Chloe shrugged, taking a seat on the adjacent log. “I just felt like we needed to come here,” She mentioned. “Have a talk and all.”

“It never ends well when you say that…” Revive murmured.

“And that’s what we have to talk about,” Chloe continued. “If this is going to somehow work, you can’t assume you know me. There are some things about me that you will never know.”

Revive nodded.

He had expected the topic to come up any day now.

“From now on, you’re the only Chloe I care about,” The Speedster voiced. “Then, I guess it’s time I learned about you…” He stated, “What is this place?”

Chloe chuckled.

“Are you pretending not to know or do you really not know?” She questioned.

An innocent smile was Revive’s reply.

“My father used to bring us here,” She explained, then corrected herself. “Well, he didn’t bring us here. We came here like two times and I haven’t been back since.”

“Your safe place?” Revive smiled with sadness. “Where is it? Kenya, Egypt?”

“Alabama, a little patch near The Dry Mountains,” She voiced. “Use to be our home away from home until a villain attacked a town nearby and Dad was too righteous to return and put them in danger.”

“Let me guess…” Revive rolled his eyes. “The villain’s attack had nothing to do with you guys?”

“Is it so obvious?”

They watched the flames together for a couple of seconds.

“We need marshmallows…” Revive suggested.

“There is a town about fifteen miles that way!” Chloe pointed.

The Speedster was gone in a flicker of lightning and appeared in another flicker of lightning a couple of seconds later.

With him were five bags of marshmallows.

“You forgot the hotdog,” Chloe urged.

Revive flickered and reappeared once more, this time with three packs of hotdogs, twelve chocolate biscuits, and two kegs.

“Now you’re talking,” Chloe nodded her head, clearly impressed.

S’mores cooked over the fire.

Hotdogs floated in the flames.

Chloe and Revive ate and carried their usual small talk to new heights.

She wanted to know everything about him and for the first time, Revive was providing some honest answers.

Not that he had ever lied to her, per se.

But The Speedster had been keeping certain facts from The Amazon and she could tell as much.

It wasn’t to the degree of her mother – Lady Liberty – but Chloe could also tell to a certain extent when people were lying to her.

“Do you mind?” Revive grabbed the large keg with one arm and passed it to Chloe.

Without batting an eye, Chloe took the keg, punched a hole through the top of it, and passed the beer back to Revive.

Then, she repeated the action with her own Keg.

The duo drank directly from the keg and given their metabolism, a buzz was the most they could get from the experience.

The conversation started anew.

…

“Favorite drink?”

“I have been to hell so I enjoy most things that are edible…” Revive replied but decided to give a bit more information. “—but if I had to choose, I would pick Chateaus. For a Speedster like me, I can taste the times from bottles of wine.”

“I prefer Lafite…”

…

“Why modeling?”

“I guess I always wanted to be seen as someone more than utopia’s daughter so I chose the best way to be seen,” Chloe admitted, frowning as if the world left a strong taste in her mouth. “Sadly, the reputation followed me everywhere.”

“Might as well get a paycheck out of it,” Revive commented.

Chloe chuckled and they raised their kegs, smacking the metallic gallons together in comradeship.

…

“Fetish?”

“I have to admit, the feet do it for me,” Revive’s tipsiness gave him courage. “It’s not about the sexuality of feet but more like… I find them a beautiful concept – a way to truly see someone. Like, if you love someone then you love the feet too.”

Chloe kicked off her shoes and slipped her feet onto Revive’s lap. “Well, if you like feet so much, I wouldn’t mind a very long and sensual massage,” She suggested.

Of course, The Speedster complied.

“Fetish?” He demanded in turn.

“I – I…” Chloe turned sheepish. “Promise not to laugh?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“If you tell anyone, you will die!” She growled.

Then she took a deep breath and admitted with a partially red face. “I like the butt stuff…”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Revive’s hand slipped between Chloe’s toes, hitting all the right spots with his massage.

“My mom and dad never did butt stuff – he was too noble to try such barbaric things,” She chuckled bitterly. “So, I have always wanted to try it. You know… measure up to my mother’s and father’s love… so my first butt guy will be someone special.”

“Like a husband?” Revive wiggled his brows.

“You haven’t even kissed me yet so forget the butt stuff!” Chloe joked.

Revive gripped Chloe’s feet – lightning arched over his body and he pulled The Amazon toward him.

The world slowed around them.

Chloe could feel and see herself drifting in the slow world but she didn’t bother to stop it, landing in Revive’s lap immediately after.

He tilted her head upward.

Their lips met in a brilliant spark.

The Speedster’s signet ring and The Amazon’s bracers glowed a bright purple… their very heartbeats were resonating with each other.

Tongues intertwined.

Saliva swapped back and forth until the duo wasn’t sure who the liquids belonged to anymore.

The very air passed through their bodies so there was no need to breathe.

The world had slowed for them.

They were separated from time and space for this kiss.

The makeout session felt like an eternity… and for the first time, Revive made a mistake he could not take back.

He allowed Chloe in… even on a subconscious level, he had never allowed a Chloe into himself… not entirely.

But something about this Chloe was different.

Perhaps it was the way she looked at him but failed to see the monster all the others had seen and ultimately accepted or the way that she was just as messed up as he was.

It could have even been that he knew a long journey was about to come to an end in this Universe.

All those factors caused a moment of weakness.

Chloe felt herself resonating with something inside Revive – a cluster of memories of all the Chloes before here…

She saw the way The Speedster loved her – every version of her, even the ones that were male.

Then, The Amazon Princess felt Revive’s lips on her neck… the passion of a thousand sex with a thousand different Chloes weighed on her body all at once.

She had never felt something so exhilarating.

But the past Chloes was not here, and right now, She could feel Revive about to give her something he had never given the others – his true anchor.

As Revive’s lips traveled down her neck, down her chest that was rapidly responding by telling the Klyntar to retreat, and down her stomach…

Chloe knew… the moment Revive placed his lips on the rim of her treasure, something unshakable would form.

Every kiss downward filled her with dread.

Chloe finally started to understand why The Speedster spent two weeks sleeping in her bed, eating breakfast with her in the morning, and showering her body in the bath but never once had he pressed for sex.

The weight was too much.

And as much as she wanted to take Revive into herself, washing away all the men who had been there before, Chloe knew her mind… her body… her soul wasn’t ready for the relationship.

She would spend her life trapped in a cage.

“I would become my mom!” The Amazon Princess realized.

The slow world suddenly changed pace, returning to normal speed.

Chloe’s hand pressed against Revive’s chest, forcing The Speedster to a stop.

Then, the clothes slowly being shed from her body morphed back into her Wonder Woman outfit.

“Stop…” Revive frowned, knowing he had messed up – he had been wrapped up in everything and forgot that Chloe needed more time to fall in love with him.

“Chloe, I—”

“This won’t work, not when I am this fucked up!” She was quick to the punch.

Chloe rose from her seat.

Revive flickered and appeared in front of her. “No, this is my failure. I pushed you too far, too fast,” He tried to explain.

The Amazon Princess was having none of it.

“Chloe, please…”

Not many people could force The Speedster to his knees but Chloe was one of them.

“Let me go, Revive!” Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Whenever she was deciding that she didn’t want to face something, Chloe would always lash out.

And she was preparing to do just that.

“Take some accountability for once!”

The words slipped out of Revive’s mouth before he even realized it – he knew it would hurt because it was something Sheldon always said to Chloe.

Lightning burst out of Revive’s body.

The world slowed to a crawl.

Chloe also froze, her fist mere inches from Revive’s nose and it was gaining a centimeter every second.

The Amazon Princess was fast but The Speedster was faster.

Still, as the fist inched closer and closer to his face, Revive didn’t dodge.

He couldn’t...

Taking the punch meant he had a way to manipulate Chloe into being with him in the future and though it left distaste in his mouth, Revive preferred to apologize later.

The ground shook.

Trees tumbled and Revive was nowhere to be seen.

Chloe stared in shock at her bloodied fist, and considered chasing after Revive but ultimately shook her head and took off into the skies.

Her shaking which had been suppressed for a day restarted with a vengeance.

All that was left of her were sparse drops of tears.

…

Revive sailed through the air and into the mouth of a cave and just before his back was about to meet a hard wall, he froze in the air.

Lightning arched all around.

The Speedster maneuvered his body through the air and his feet were attracted to the cave’s ceiling like the end of a magnet pole.

As soon as his feet touched the ceiling, Revive was gone.

His body vibrated through the cave wall, exiting in sunlight and the edge of a cliff.

Gravity-fueled Speed Force brought him down.

The leaf of a palm tree flexed as Revive landed and it took every bit of balance The Speedster could muster to avoid losing his runaway.

Revive was down the tree and through the mountainous region of The Dry Mountains in the next second.

Each step took him further than the last.

A massive lake entered his sights and The Speedster needed a mere two steps to disappear across the entire terrain.

Hopping…

Sliding…

Skating…

Running…

Leaping…

Another secret Young Speedsters didn’t know – running was half the job of a Speedster and sometimes, running faster wasn’t the solution to a problem.

…

Ten minutes later, lightning burst into the warehouse and Revive appeared.

“Fuck…” He cursed.

All the money and the drugs that were previously in the warehouse had disappeared.

Chloe’s inability to use the bracers had knocked him unconscious and of course, she didn’t think to complete the purpose they originally came for.

Still…

“Good thing I didn’t come for drug money to begin with,” Revive sighed.

This particular warehouse was going to be linked to a treasure trove in a couple of years.

“During the Civil War, the government wanted to preserve wealth for when it emerged victorious,” Revive spoke to himself, placing his hand on the ground and vibrating until he could feel the depth of the ground beneath his feet. “They made vaults and bunkers filled with intrinsically cultural treasures… and they made one bunker all the way down there…”

“Huh… deeper than I thought.”

The Speedster continued to send pulses of vibrational energy into the ground, hoping something would rebound to tell him just how long he would have to phase.

With the current level of Speed Force saturating his cells, Revive could judge his limit at half a-lite.

Lite is a unit of the speed of light for one second.

So, currently, The Speedster could push himself and achieve light speed for half a second – exactly as he did to reverse time on the battlefield – or maintain half the speed of light, theoretically, indefinitely.

Then, The Speedster got a ping.

Three pulses returned in quick succession.

“Three miles down?” He was confused. “Three pings? Three layers?”

Revive vibrated his body, containing all the lightning inside his body for a couple of seconds.

Eventually, he was vibrating so strongly that he pushed the surrounding air away.

Then…

The air rushed back into place as The Speedster sunk into the ground, falling through Earth as if he were skydiving.

Terminal velocity took Revive five miles down in three seconds flat.

The Speedster timed everything to perfection, exiting phase speed at the exact moment he entered a chamber in the ground.

He simultaneously released the lightning contained in his body, causing multiple arches to light up the darkness of the vault.

And of course, given the limited air in the vault, Revive didn’t dismiss The Speed Force, lest he suffocate to death.

“Hmmm…”

The Speedster glanced around, flashing from one side of the vault to the next – most things had been rendered into black sludge.

But the golden cross melted into the vault’s wall, the dozens of rubies, gold coins, and pearl necklaces scattered across the ground, and a particularly mechanically complex device made the journey worth it.

“This is more than has been here in every other universe,” Revive noted.

Still, he didn’t long enough to question a good thing.

The Speedster flashed around the twenty by twenty vault, touching each object with the back of his hand, absorbing everything valuable into his signet ring.

Of course, there were a few things Revive didn’t dare touch – things that were either cursed or contained dangerous energies that made even the Speed Force tremble.

…

Revive rose out of the ground a couple of miles away, his breathing was rushed and the lightning around his body was significantly weaker.

A thought was all it took for his suit to switch into casual clothing – everything retreating into his signet ring.

Then, The Speedster simply walked.

Day turned to night and Revive took a brief nap atop the nearest tree and in the morning, he was walking again.

This time, he managed to make it to the roadside.

He could feel the vibrations of the city – he knew exactly where to walk but Revive convinced himself to forget directions for a while…

He was trying to get lost.

After an hour of walking up and down the road, a car stopped.

“Get in.”

A familiar voice urged.

Revive narrowed his eyes, trying to determine who was in the pickup truck that had stopped for him.

Then he recognized the person.

“You know,” Revive hopped into the car, closing the door behind him. “You’re handsome not wearing tights.”

“I’ve been driving around for hours,” Brandon sighed. “Dad went to Chloe and she was all messed up and high. I tagged along and she begged me to come and find you.”

“Campaigning for your sister already?” Revive snorted, but it was a soft, forgiving snort. “I love that girl too much for a mega-punch to stop me.”

“She punched you…” Brandon was surprised at the news, but he still remembered to start the car. “Like, through how many trees?”

“Five…” Revive bragged. “And into a cave to boot.”

Brandon winced and increased the speed of the car.

“Well, you’re tough enough to handle her at least,” The Hero conceded on that point.

A bunch of small talk followed.

“Turn here,” Revive suddenly said.

Brandon did as he was told, simultaneously checking his watch to make sure the meeting with Ruby and the others was still a ways away.

“I have two hours to burn…”

“I need to go to a firm in the city,” Revive mentioned.

“Having legal issues already?” Brandon joked. “The family has a lawyer… and you are family now… at least, according to Twitter and everything else.”

More small talk followed.

“So, how did Chloe and your dad get along during the conversation earlier?”

Some might think that men weren’t interested in gossip but this was one piece of gossip that Revive and Brandon were both eager to discuss.

“Chloe was torn up about you and Dad wanted her at Barry’s funeral so…” Brandon shrugged. “They never really reached the argument part of their usual conversation.”

“Damn…”

“By the way,” Brandon shifted the car into a steady cruise as they entered the city. “My dad says The Union will be convening to discuss your matter in a couple of days.”

“Why didn’t he tell me himself?” Revive quirked a brow.

“He said he didn’t trust himself not to punch you in the face,” Brandon chuckled. “I have never seen Dad this rattled.”

“He’ll recover…”

“You know, he was pretty shaken after you told him the life that could have been without his powers,” Brandon blurted.

Revive sighed and shook his head. “Your dad is your dad, he never changes his mind… that’s what makes him the best and worst hero ever.”

A couple of seconds later…

“Park here!”

Brandon slowed the car, circled the building, and into the parking lot where he found a parking spot.

The Speedster and Paragon made their way up the ramp and in through the backdoor, already knowing a crowd would gather to disrupt business if they headed through the front door.

It had been three days but Revive’s and Chloe’s pictures were still trending at number one and their faces were plastered on many magazine covers.

Who’s the mystery husband? – the articles asked.

Brandon, himself, was a face that everyone in the world would recognize.

…

The stairs were easy enough to circumvent.

A flicker of lightning at Revive was at the top of the steers and a couple of seconds later, Brandon floated above the railing and landed next to The Speedster.

“You’re fast…” He noted.

“Faster than your dad?” Revive raised a brow.

“If he got serious, definitely not,” Brandon said with certainty. “But he is old now so you may just be the fastest person in the world.”

Revive was sure he was the fastest person in the world… in any world really.

Of course, there were exceptions – if too many Speedsters were anchored to one timeline, The Speed Force would significantly diminish and the overall speed could never breach lightspeed.

The door clicked but refused to open.

“Locked...”

Revive glanced at Brandon and the superhero shrugged his shoulders.

“Can’t damage public property…” He said.

The Speedster sighed, placed his hand against the lock, and vibrated until all the internal components shifted into an unlocked state.

The door opened and they walked into a busy office.

A dozen lawyers scurried back and forth, carrying stacks of papers with such urgency that it gave Revive and Brandon the sense that an attack was imminent.

But it was just another day in the office.

The few lawyers in neater suits who were allowed to sit due to their status somehow seemed tenser than the assistants running all over the place.

Each paper checked and signed was a drop of sweat.

“I fought Blackstar and didn’t get this messed up,” Brandon murmured.

It was his first time in a lawyer’s office that didn’t deal with superheroes.

“There is a difference between what is happening here and your battle against Blackstar,” Revive replied.

“What?”

“These people want to win the fight,” The Speedster quipped.

The joke earned him a jab from Brandon, which was akin to the strongest punch from a Football Player in their prime.

Door to door…

Office to office…

Revive knew who he was searching for and Brandon simply followed along, trying to determine who Revive was looking for.

The superhero had made a game out of it.

Brandon was trying to hone his skills of spotting talented people and who better to confirm his guesses than Revive – someone who had seen it all?

“That guy?”

“Nope…”

“That girl?”

“That’s a woman and nope…”

“The janitor?”

“Hmmm, he is hiding superpowers but it's related to keeping insects and rodents from buildings so… nope.”

The guesses carried on…

Until Brandon and Revive came upon a conference room bordered by transparent glass.

And The Speedster saw the lawyer that would come to control his funds in every reality.

…

“As you know, we have coordinated with Financial Times magazine to help control the message,” Marty voiced the good news but it was equally a warning to not back out of the deal.

“And we have—“

Before Ingrid could add another bombshell to goad the business titans into signing, the door opened and two men stepped into the room.

“Hmm…” Ingrid hummed.

She recognized both of the men but she couldn’t recognize from where.

“Utopia’s son?” Ted instantly recognized Brandon.

His voice woke everyone up from the disappointment writhing in their guts - Brandon and Revive had interrupted a very important deal but nobody had the guts to call out the son of Utopia.

“Brandon,” Marty took a couple of steps forward, extending his hand. “I haven’t seen you in years.”

“You are?”

“Your dad must have told you the story a million times, right?” Marty was slightly enthusiastic. “The kid who thought he could fly and jet and got shot into space?”

“Oh, yeah…” Brandon’s eyes gleaned with recognition. “Marty Adler…”

“While I would like to hear that story, I am afraid I must insist we get back to the deal,” Franklin voiced.

His culture did not entertain interruption even if it was by the son of the number one hero.

“Oh my gosh,” Ingrid suddenly realized, hopping out of her seat and quickly steadying herself. “You’re Paragon… and you are Revive – the supermodel Chloe’s husband.”

Brandon by himself wasn’t impressive – there were no deals to be made with the son of Utopia.

But Revive was new blood.

New blood in an old family usually meant change was on the horizon.

“Yo, hey, yo!” Carter hopped out of his seat, already setting a live video on his Instagram account. “You would never believe who I ran into.”

Revive raised a finger and a spark shut down the phone.

“Sorry, I have law business to discuss so best not to let everyone know,” The Speedster explained.

“Cool, cool, cool…”

Carter wasn’t even disappointed – he even grew more enthusiastic.

“Last I checked,” And he had checked – Ted and every businessman worth his weight feared one thing. “The code forbids Superheroes from actively participating in business deals.”

“I am not here for whatever is happening,” Brandon raised both hands, showing his intent to back away.

“Then you are here because?” Marty was confused.

“I want to make this firm my retainer,” Revive interrupted, stating his intentions and expectations from the get-go. “You will handle my money… well, she will anyway.”

He pointed at Ingrid.

“Me?”

“Her?”

The room spluttered to a pause.

“Mr. Revive, Ingrid is just a jr—” Marty’s breathing was hurried, wanting to jump at the opportunity but unwilling to agree to the condition that Ingrid be in charge. “We have people more qualified to—”

“I don’t care about qualified, I want her,” Revive bluntly stated, then he met Ingrid’s eyes. “You manage my money and only you. Are you up for the task?”

The room stilled.

Everyone waited with bated breath for Ingrid’s response – and Ingrid was no naïve girl.

She knew her life would change with any answer – either she would be good enough that The First Hero Family considered her or she would be the only lawyer associated with The First Hero Family.

“I am up for the job…” She replied.

Revive smirked and pressed the back of his hand to the table, ejecting a dozen 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle coins stacked atop each other.

“Your first job is to find me lucrative partnership investments,” The Speedster glanced at Zi-Xin and his expression contained a hint of surprise. “—start the partnership with that guy…”

He pointed at Zi-Xin.

Revive extended a hand toward the environment warrior and complimented him. “Your work in alternative energy sources really impressed me.”

What The Speedster left unsaid was the fact that he was impressed in the previous universe, not this one… not yet, at least.

Marty, Ingrid, and the others were still staring at the coins on the table, recognizing their immense value.

Ingrid felt her hands shake in fright – she didn’t even dare pick up the coins from the table.

The work had just become something she regretted.

Ω

Three hours later, Revive and Brandon departed the building.

Before they departed, there were contracts to sign, investments were made, subtle threats were made, and an overarching account system was introduced.

There was little precedent for it, given it was the first time a hero had officially opened an account of the kind.

Villains, however, had been doing it for decades.

It was merely a matter of getting rid of the intentionally harmful parts.

Everything was handled neatly in an hour – the extra two hours were spent transferring the valuables into the only bank that would dare take a powered’s money.

Admittedly, it was more Marty who did the heavy lifting, while Ingrid was his understudy.

Still, Revive made it clear who his financial advisor should be, and if what he knew of Ingrid remained true, she would grow into the role soon enough.

“We are an hour late…” Brandon complained.

“Actually, we are thirty minutes early,” Revive voiced, chuckling slightly.

“What?”

“You used to always listen to a sermon from your dad before you went out so the others started to give you a time one hour ahead…” Revive revealed.

Brandon chuckled. “Is there anything you don’t know?”

The Speedster thought for a couple of seconds and replies seriously. “Why does Ruby love you so much…” He questioned. “I never understand it. Even when you’re a loser, she is always there. Did you guys kill someone together when you were younger?”

“I think we just get each other…” Brandon replied, a slight smile adorning his features. “We have since we were kids… our first time was in the bathroom at school.”

Revive didn’t probe further because it would just stir up Brandon’s emotions… and in the end, Paragon and Ruby never end up together.

… in any universe.

--------------

The music trembled down to their bones.

The duo had waited in the line like every other person and sure enough, without establishing themselves, there was one person or two who recognized them.

Though, Revive did manage to blur his face a couple of times.

The bouncer gave Brandon a hard time when it came to entering the club and Revive couldn’t help but chuckle.

…

Brandon led the way forward.

The VIP section was the natural course but this was one of the clubs where the dance floor was lively enough to overshadow the VIP section.

The synth-electro music in the club was strong.

Revive frowned in displeasure – this was one of the universes where Hip-hop hadn’t developed as strongly.

When two black men were included amongst those who gained abilities in Sheldon’s group, racism was rapidly suppressed.

It was a problem waiting to happen.

But with the emergence of Super-Villains, people simply didn’t have a chance to rage against Black America, and in time, some notions were forgotten…

Or rather, buried deep enough that it would never again see the light of day.

“Don’t like the music?” Brandon questioned, his voice clearly heard over the pumping vibrations of the music.

“This isn’t music,” Revive replied, pushing through the crowd. “Maybe I can introduce you to some real music later.”

“Lookin’ forward to it…”

The VIP section branched down a different corridor, and red lights lined the walls, almost giving the impression that they were walking into a slaughter.

Despite knowing that wasn’t the case, Revive couldn’t help but flicker forward, walking through the frozen atmosphere of the cub.

He examined each face in the VIP area.

Some he knew, some he didn’t.

Then, The Speedster made his way to a set of couches near the center, finding the familiar faces of Ruby and Phase Out.

The others, Revive wasn’t sure of their identities but the fact that they had abilities was undeniable.

‘Probably members of The Union…’

Time resumed, lightning struck the table, creating gentle sparks and Revive appeared in a seat next to Jana.

…

“What the fuc—”

Jay hopped out of his seat, already intending to point his hands in Revive’s direction but Brandon blurred forward and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Guys,” Paragon commanded all attention in the VIP section when he appeared. “This is Revive… I told you about him…”

Ruby tipped a glass in Revive’s direction. “Nice of you to join us, hero…” Her voice was flirtatious but in a playful way.

Austin was the first to stand, extending a hand in The Speedster’s direction. “Hey, there man… the name’s Austin,” He introduced.

A round of introductions followed.

Revive’s eyes lingered on Jana a bit longer and the others seemed to notice.

They whoopee.