Bab 16: Naked Truth

"What are you doing? Leave her alone,…leave her alone!" He cried.

Ignoring his pitiful cries, i walked toward her bloodied body.

She tried to fight me but really she mostly just toppled over in pain. Just a few forced sprays from the bottle and she was fully passed out.

"Leave her alone! Where are you taking her?" He shouted desperately as I picked her up and walked to the exit.

'Laser him in half!' I twitched as his accent really grated me.

"Oh would you shut the hell up!" I snapped at him my eyes glowing red.

I unleashed a precise laser strike which melted the lock keeping him tethered to the post.

"She's bleeding internally and externally very badly. It's a god dam miracle she's even alive, no thanks to you." I said sharply.

Guilt immediately filled his face.

"I'm taking her to Vought tower. The medical team there knows how to deal with supes."

"No, no! Leave her alone! She doesn't even have powers anymore!" he made to lunge towards me and I lasered the ground in front of him.

"Yea we'll see about that." I mumbled.

"If you ever want to see her alive then listen carefully. A Vought security team and the police should be here in a few minutes. Wait for them. They will help you out. Once you give your statement to the police to clear up whatever the hell this is…the Vought team will bring you to the tower."

He looked at me shocked. And he could now also hear the sirens approaching.

"Now if no more questions I'm going to save her life. Take care of your other friend until they come."

It was then that he remembered Cherie and rushed to her.

I swiftly took off to the tower.

Martin was waiting for me.

After I had to kick Frenchie out of the tower and made him come back tomorrow for making a scene about Kimiko, the dude just could not get it through his head that we were not going to release a barely alive woman in his 'capable hands', plus Martin needed to collect samples, I received the call from Deep about Soldier Boy.

So I was flying to Vermont while keeping an eye out for a certain quarrelling naked couple.

Easy to do with super vision and super hearing.

"I thought the drug had fսckеd you up, Hughie, but... this is you. This is all you!" I heard Starlight say.

Bingo!

I rush and land with a big Thud in the classic superhero pose. Startling both of them.

"Oh my God! Uh, Homelander!"

"Shit!"

"Starlight, honey!" I say with a cold smile. "Mind telling me what you are doing here, arguing, with you 'ex'…in the middle of the street…naked?"

I slowly walked over to the trunk of their car.

"Uh, we were just, uh, mm, uh..." she started stuttering.

"Streaking, uh, camping, naked. Enjoying nature. It's not a crime!" Hughie muttered out.

I popped open the trunk, took the clothes bag and threw it at Annie.

"Right, right. And it just so happens it's next to the house where Deep was following up on a lead for our mid-town terrorist? Who by the way Deep swears it's Soldier Boy…back from the dead."

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" I said approaching his naked self. I let my eyes turn red.

'Slice him!'

Soon Echo! Soon.

"Uh, well. That's just a big coincidence…" he started trying to explain.

"Look Homelander we were just…" I turn to her. She paused looking conflicted for a moment "the terrorist is actually"

"Annie don't!" Hughie says suddenly finding his balls.

"Enough you two!" I snap at them.

"Whatever this is" I motioned my hands at them. "It ends right now!" I walk towards Annie.

"Soldier Boy or not our, our suspect is supposedly on that estate over there. He is dangerous and a lot of people could die. Now you have to make a choice stay with Free Willy over here to come with me and prevent more deaths." I say extending my hand to her.

She looks conflicted for a moment. I get it, the no brainer move was to go and save lives which she was going to do beforehand anyway but now the scenario changed.

Homelander was asking her to go save lives with him. If she took my hand it was almost like betraying Hughie. Not quite like sleeping with the enemy but close enough.

She made to say something when KWAABOOM! We all heard the sounds of shouting, screaming and saw a red beam in the distance.

Ah good old Soldier Boy having PTSD.

"Annie" I said with as much heartfelt as I could muster. "People are dying. I need your help."

She took one last look at Hughie and steeled her resolve. She grabbed my hand and I pulled her in close to me.

"No! I won't let you!" Hughie shouted. He took a step and tried to make a hop to teleport and catch me by surprise but I already knew about his power.

"No! Annie! No!" He shouted when he realized he grabbed air.

We were already gone when he I saw his foot lift off the ground.