I watched as the radiation struck the shocked Ana, burning the compound V from her blood and leaving a perfectly spherical hole in her stomach.
The ray continued even after passing through her and was scarily becoming uncontrollable.
Panic set in as I struggled to turn off my power. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop the flow.
'Shit!! Turn off!! Ending the world is not on my fucking to-do list!!'
I began to worry that I could not stop the seemingly endless radiation beam. However, after a few minutes, I was finally able to mentally wrestle the energy and redirect it to rejoin the raging sea that lay dormant inside me.
"Fucking hell!!" I said while wiping the sweat that had accumulated around my eyes.
I took a moment to breathe after nearly killing and saving everyone in the span of a few minutes.
My relaxation was cut short as another pressing matter came to mind. I now had to see if the radiation left behind would be an issue for Dawn, Jamie or the surrounding population. Closing my eyes and focusing on the particles in the environment, I released a sigh of relief. It seemed that I had luckily shut down the beam in time, and the amount present wasn't dangerous. A few kids with two heads might appear in the future, but that should be the extent of it.
'That was just a slither of energy. What the fuck would all of it do?'
Shaking my head to eliminate that alarming thought, I ran to check on Jamie's prone form. Ignoring Ana's fallen and twisted body on the way over.
'Hopefully, Jamie is ok.'
I quickly reached the hamster and smiled when I saw his little chest moving.
"Hey there, bud. Wake up, you did good," I said as I gently shook him.
He slowly opened his eyes and began chittering away before he amusingly remembered I couldn't understand, and then I felt the familiar sensation of his mind.
~I am sorry, Sir. I ignored your command and acted without thought,~ Jamie whispered as he bowed his head towards me.
"You have to stop apologising, Jamie. You saved me from a very embarrassing death," I replied with a smirk. "However, when telling this story, let's leave out her age."
'Almost losing to a little girl is something I won't be telling anyone.
"I…I didn't want to hurt anyone," Ana suddenly interrupted with a shocked gasp. "I just wanted to play with someone for once."
Hearing her words, I turned away from Jamie and stared at Ana in contemplation. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for the girl in front of me. She had been experimented on and treated like a weapon by her father. Perhaps in another life without him, she could have been an ordinary girl.
'Unfortunately for her, this wasn't that other life.'
All of a sudden, in the distance, I could hear a commotion occurring in the sleepy village. The screams and destruction had brought along a crowd that was slowly making its way towards us. Opportunely, the distance between cottages was vast enough that a group their size would arrive at the earliest in half an hour. Giving Jamie ample time to do as he pleased. While I may pity the girl, her actions are still her own.
"Have your fun, kill the little shit and then let's leave. I have no patience to deal with pitchfork-wielding village idiots," I offhandedly said to Jamie as I made my way towards Dawn in the study.
Just as I was about to jump out of the lab, I noticed the silence behind me. Turning around, I was greeted by Jamie simply staring at the girl. He had made no moves to harm her or end it.
"What's the problem, Jamie?" I questioned his inaction. "We don't have time for you to fuck around."
He looked away from Ana and floated towards me.
~I have no more hate in my heart, and I believe she was also a victim, Master Ben,~ Jamie whispered in a confused yet determined manner. ~Her life, as it is, is over, and that is enough for me.~
I could see he had made up his mind and decided to deal with it myself.
With a sigh, I gave Jamie a look of displeasure and walked back towards Ana. The hamster flew beside me, chittering in confusion during the short walk. However, I ignored his attempts to communicate.
Kneeling over the child, I could tell that even without her powers, she was slowly healing from the attack and, if given time, could possibly recover.
'I can't let that happen.'
"You should be proud, Sweetheart. Not many can say they nearly bested Soldier Boy," I said with a smile that turned serious. "Unfortunately, your time has run its course."
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice sounding genuinely human for the first time. "I don't want to be like this anymore."
I said nothing in response and wrapped my right hand around her throat. Giving her a small smile of encouragement that she matched, I twisted her neck and locked eyes until I saw the life fade from hers. It was sad. However, the world would be a lot safer with one less monster in it.
'That should put her down for good.'
Wiping my hands on the remains of her dress, I turned towards the shocked and speechless Jamie.
"Take this as a lesson in life, Jamie. We don't leave threats alive, no matter how young, promising, weak or broken," I said sternly, knowing he may leave after my decision. "I'm not in the business of creating my own Batman. If you can't understand, it would be better for you to go your own way."
I sighed, hoping he would decide to stay. However, I would not budge on my morals, and if he could not agree, it was wiser if he left now.
~Master Ben is all I have. You not want Jamie?~ The hamster brokenly stated whilst his head shook vigorously and his eyes glistened with tears.
'Well, that's a relief. I would miss the fur ball.'
"Of course I don't want you to fucking leave. We have a lot of assholes that need to be taught a lesson," I replied with a grin that the hamster matched.
Happy that my little family won't be broken up so soon, I looked back down at the body of Ana and sighed before lifting her gently, placing her on the operating table and closing her eyes.
'That's better. The floor isn't the most dignified burial ground.'
Turning away from her body, I began checking the lab for anything useful when I saw something that made me chuckle. In a small corner was the table leg that I had dropped during the fight.
'That would have been useful.'
As I reached down to grab the baton, my eyes were drawn to a small blue light leaking from the hole my death ray had made in the far left wall.
'Is there something behind the wall?'
Curiosity taking the better of me, I grabbed the table leg and approached the hole. Once I got close enough to see what was inside, I let out a greedy smile.
"Jackpot baby!!'
"Stay here, Jamie," I said to the hamster as I stared at the room's contents with childish glee.
It was a basic hidden room with three objects neatly arranged on a single table, a work desk on one side and a row of blue lights on the ceiling. Besides these objects, there were obvious signs of Victor having worked here, with papers chucked all over the floor, a steaming cup of coffee left untouched and an open laptop on the side desk.
'He must have been in the lab when I broke down the door.'
The idiot had the time to prepare and died when he could have possibly won. I have definitely learned a valuable lesson in taking every enemy and situation seriously.
But my self-reflection and smug sense of self-improvement were short-lived, as on climbing through, red lights suddenly illuminated the room, and the three objects were immediately encased in a giant glass box. If that wasn't enough, ten massive mechanical turrets dropped down from the ceiling, their barrels pointed directly at me.
"I need to stop being so fucking careless," I whispered in annoyance.
'The universe has a twisted sense of humour.'
——————————————————————————
Authors note
Hi all, this is the third of the four promised chapters. I know he's still in Russia. Unfortunately, to create some future plotlines, I needed to extend the Russia arc for a few chapters. Don't worry; in the next chapter, he finally leaves Russia. I hope this chapter was enjoyable, and I look forward to your criticism.
I do have a question for you all. Should I condense the first three chapters in the original world into two or even one? It does have some foreshadowing; however, I want to get your opinions on whether or not it was enjoyable or annoying to read through. Be honest, as it will help for future stories as well. If you wish to help, Vote below.
1. Yes, condense the original three chapters
2. No, keep it as it is.
Fun fact: In the comics, Herbie the Hamster was found by Hughie, adopted, and renamed "Jamie". The original owner Blarney Cock was eventually resurrected and attempted to retrieve the hamster only to be killed again.
"Great," I muttered sarcastically. "Just what I needed - a welcoming committee."
The turrets began firing at me in unison, their bullets coming dangerously close. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of retired scientist had so much money to afford these high-tech defences.
"I am not in the fucking mood," I yelled in frustration as I dodged the bullets.
With all the surprises I had received today, I wasn't sure if the bullets could harm me, so I continued to evade them as I formulated a plan to end this nuisance quickly.
My mind raced as I calculated the angles and force required to take out all ten turrets at once. Finally, I let out a small smile and, with a flick of my wrist, sent my baton soaring towards the back wall.
The table leg travelled through the air with incredible speed and precision, ricocheting off the wall like a boomerang, easily evading all the bullets as it locked onto its target.
It struck the first turret with a loud clang, demolishing it in the process. The power behind the throw caused the broken turret to swing into two others, damaging them to the degree that they malfunctioned and began firing wildly. A chain reaction ensued, and soon all ten turrets exploded in a shower of sparks.
This time I carefully used my superior senses to observe my surroundings for any more traps.
'My experience in this fucking cottage is making me more paranoid than 40 years of torture.'
I detected no more surprises around me or the three encased objects.
~Are you okay, Master Ben,~ Jamie suddenly said, startling me and almost making me drop in anticipation of another fucking attack.
"I'm fine, Jamie, don't worry about me," I yelled back, coughing to hide my embarrassment.
~Understood, Sir,~ Jamie replied, with what sounded like amusement in his voice. ~I'll wait here as instructed then.~
I ignored the little shits provocation and, with bated breath, looked at the loot I was getting from this entire experience.
'This better be worth the trouble.'
In front of me was the glass box containing a plain platinum ring, a steel briefcase and a big red button.
Once again, being careful of possible unknown defences or side effects, I began searching through the documents spilt all over the floor to see if I could find anything to tell me more about the objects on the table.
It took a while shifting through transaction reports and other benign papers before I found something interesting.
It looked like blueprints for a group of items designated as V-tech. A closer inspection showed that compound V was involved in the creation process.
'V-tech, that's a term I haven't heard before. How are they getting Compound V? Vaught highly controls it.'
The more I read, the more I realised that Victor was not working alone. There were references to an organisation working within Vaught throughout the paperwork but no concrete information.
'I should be quick. His associates may already know something is wrong, and I'm not in the mood to deal with more of these supervillain wannabes.'
In my generation, the real villains were the ones you begged to see. Not these shadowy figures in the dark. At least Vought still has the right idea.
Finally, I found a scrunched-up document listing each item on the table.
- SPACIAL RING - this ring utilises the new V-tech capabilities to store non-living material inside a dimension that is 10ft by 10ft. Currently unbound, it requires the use of an individual with compound V in their system. I will recommend field testing during the next summit.
'What the fuck is a summit? And how are they making items this powerful.'
- COMPOUND V - A briefcase containing five vials of highly concentrated compound V secured for future subjects.
'Again, how do they have five fucking vials.'
During my peak popularity, I wasn't even allowed to know where they kept the blue shit. Not that it stopped me. But that's beside the point. Someone inside Vaught was playing a dangerous game.
I once again began reading the sheet of paper and nearly threw it away in anger at the final item on the list.
-B.Y.E.D- Baba Yaga Emergency Detonation. In emergencies, this device will cause subject Baba Yaga to explode. Once used, salvaging the project will be almost impossible.
'Fuck me. There was a literal button to say "bye" to that psychopath.'
I took a deep breath to calm down before double-checking that no nasty surprises were awaiting me.
From what I read, it seemed utterly safe, as the only security mentioned were Ana, the turrets and the apparent "impenetrable" V-tech glass.
'We'll see about that.'
It was also a good thing I didn't let any of the bullets hit me, as according to this document, they were coated in a V-tech substance that induced cardiac arrest.
'Who knows if that shit could affect me.'
Having confirmed that it was safe to open and touch the items, I now had to figure out a way to break through this glass.
'It shouldn't be too hard.'
I cracked my hands and placed them on either side of the glass box. My muscles bulged as I tried to pry it open with my bare hands. I knew I had the strength to break it, but the damn thing was fucking durable, proving to be a challenge.
I had little time, and my anger grew with every failed attempt.
'This younger generation's V-tech stuff will not beat me.'
I took a step back whilst wiping the sweat beading on my forehead, and with a snarl, I raised my fist and gave the box a powerful punch. The force of the blow sent a shockwave through the room, but the glass remained intact. I tried again, putting even more power behind my punch, but still nothing.
I could feel my frustration mounting, and my thoughts started to turn to other methods of breaking the box open. However, I had something to prove, and I wouldn't back down.
I took a deep breath, trying to centre myself. I closed my eyes and focused all my strength on my fists. With a primal roar, I punched the box again, and this time, I felt something give.
My heart leapt with satisfaction, and I punched it repeatedly, each hit more potent than the last. I could see the cracks forming on the glass like spiderwebs, and I knew I was getting closer.
With one final explosive punch, the glass shattered, sending shards flying in every direction.
I stood there for a moment, catching my breath and feeling the rush of triumph wash over me.
'Impenetrable isn't a word to use in front of me.'
I reached inside the shattered box and retrieved the ring and briefcase whilst ignoring the button.
As I placed the ring on my right index finger, I watched in fascination as it glowed a light blue and resized itself to be a perfect fit. Suddenly I felt a slight nudge on my mental barriers. After careful inspection, I realised it was a packet of information programmed to be sent to the user once bound. I allowed the info packet to enter and smiled as I now had the user manual.
I analysed all the information, and then with anticipation, I accessed the ring. Currently, there was nothing inside as no one had bonded with it before.
'That's going to change.'
I picked up a stack of papers off the floor and imagined them being transported into the ring and watched as they disappeared before my eyes. I then envisioned removing something from the ring and was provided with a mental inventory of everything inside the dimensional space. Picking a random daily report, it suddenly appeared in my hands.
'Maybe some things from this generation aren't so bad.'
Unfortunately, it seemed the transport mechanism required touch, so it took a few minutes of running around to empty the hidden room of all the papers, the turrets, the laptop and even the shards of glass.
'When I return to America, I'll have someone go through all this. Unlike the tech nerds, I'm too busy getting real human pussy and not that hentai waifu shit.'
Once I was done, the only things left in the room were the briefcase, the button and the bullets, which I was careful not to go near.
'Now time to look at the pièce de résistance.'
I easily snapped the lock on the briefcase and opened it to see the five intensely glowing vials of compound V.
'Brings back some good memories.'
I didn't have time to mess around, so I closed the case and threw it inside the ring for safekeeping.
Having emptied the room, I gave it one more glance before I turned around and climbed through the hole back into the main lab.
~You find everything you need, Sir?~ Jamie questioned, having dutifully stayed by the wall the whole time.
"Yes, Jamie. I found some interesting shit," I replied with a grin before adopting a serious expression when my hearing estimated the approaching mob's arrival at around 15 minutes. "Let's quickly search the rest of the house and then leave this shithole."
'I am not in the habit of explaining myself to the village idiots.'
Searching the rest of the house yielded nothing of great importance besides some clothes for me, Dawn and, surprisingly, Jamie. It seemed Ana had kept some hamster suits and costumes that Jamie wanted. His exact words to me were, "A distinguished gentleman does not run around in the nude, Sir."
Whilst the tracksuit I took from Victor was not my style, it was the only item that fit and would suit its purpose until I could get my super-suit and shield back.
Aside from the clothing, we did find a safe in the study. However, it was all mundane items, just some cash, jewellery, books and a phone that I had no idea how to access. I still placed them all in my ring as some funds could prove helpful, and the phone could be given to a man I knew in America.
'The Legend should know someone that can access this thing.'
Disgustingly, the final thing we found was Pixie. As I had expected, It was a legless, eyeless baby chick with a broken beak and part of her throat missing. Somehow she was still alive, and after witnessing that sight, Jamie finally agreed that I was right about Ana and would not stop apologising. Once I got him to shut up, he proceeded to beg me to keep Pixie as he felt some form of kinship with her. I relented after I saw his glistening golden eyes but told him she was his responsibility.
'I will have a fucking zoo by the end of the year if I keep collecting strays.'
With the house thoroughly searched and 6 minutes still to spare, I looked over a map on Victor's study desk and saw that an airfield was only a few miles away. I know in the TV show that I took a cargo plane and assumed that was where I had gone.
'Well, if it worked once, it can work twice.'
——————————————————————————
Authors note
Hi all, this is the final chapter that I owe you all. Again I apologise for the delay. It was out of my hands. However, If something like this happens again, I'll endeavour to give you a warning. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and look forward to your criticism.
Lastly, I want to inform you that the fanfic will be more of AU of The Boys Tv show. I will be taking inspiration from the comics to spice things up and adding new characters and organisations to create a larger, more dangerous world for Soldier Boy and the human race.
If you have any ideas, please let me know. The next chapter with Soldier Boy will be in America. Thank you all for sticking through the Russia Arc. It was long and perhaps tedious for some, but it's all part of the plan.
Fun fact: According to Slavic Folklore, Baba Yaga, also spelt Baba Jaga, is an ogress who steals, cooks, and eats her victims, usually children. A guardian of the fountains of the water of life, she lives with two or three sisters in a forest hut that spins continually on chicken legs. She often accompanies Death on his travels, devouring newly released souls.
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