Chương 312: 312 The Boys: The Price Of Lies, Rebecca's Reunion and One Deadly Blow.
A few days passed after the encounter with Madelyn, but the world never stops.
— "In other news, A-Train was seriously injured while confronting those responsible for the attack on Stan Edgar. His condition is stable, but he will be out of the Seven for a while." —
— "Translucent's funeral was broadcast nationwide and was preceded by Homelander, who still carries mixed opinions regarding the serious accusations against him and the ongoing trials." —
— "Madelyn Stillwell remains missing, and the cause of her disappearance is still unknown. However, her personal assistant and close confidante, Ashley Barrett, will take over the responsibilities she left behind." —
— "Vought announces its new members at an event that captured the nation's attention. Golden Boy, Silver Boy, and Stormfront will be introduced on Friday at the event..." —
A-Train, lying in a hospital bed, turned off the TV. He stared at the ceiling in silence, cursing over and over again. He cursed Vought, cursed The Boys, cursed Madelyn, and cursed Homelander.
"Damn it! Stormfront, Golden Boy, and Silver Boy are replacements for Black Noir, Starlight, and Translucent. Yet, both Deep and I are on the chopping block, and no one knows when they'll replace us.
A-Train can't do anything; Homelander broke his leg. Even if not, his doctor told him he had the heart of a fifty-year-old air traffic controller, and at this rate, it was just a matter of time before he had a heart attack.
A-Train was finished; he knew it himself.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door and entered. It wasn't a nurse but someone A-Train knew very well.
"Hugh Campbell..." A-Train muttered, a mix of disbelief and irritation in his voice. "Did you come here to gloat?!"
"Believe it or not, that's not why I'm here..." Hughie sat down beside him in silence. "You know, there was a time I would have liked to see you writhing in hell... or at least have everyone see what you're really like."
"What the hell are you talking about?" A-Train shouted, expecting the nurses and doctors to hear.
Outside the room, Frenchie and Mother's Milk stood by the door, preventing anyone from approaching. This made them glance at each other before knocking.
"Hughie, three minutes..."
Hughie needed to leave, so he stood up.
"Wait, you haven't answered anything!"
Hughie glanced at him and didn't respond. As he left, he saw two guards on the floor and glanced at MM and Frenchie, but neither admitted to their actions.
"Petit Hughie, what happened?"
"Come on, kid, don't tell me you were really going to forgive him?"
"I... think it's too soon."
After witnessing Butcher's outburst of rage and anger, Hughie realized how resentment can consume a person.
Hughie returned home and spent the next few days with Robin, wondering if he should let go of his resentment.
He came to the hospital intending to forgive and forget, not for A-Train's sake but for his own. However, the heart cannot be controlled by logic. Although Hughie came to let go of his anger, he couldn't do it. Even seeing A-Train in a hospital bed with a broken leg and perhaps his career over, he couldn't bring himself to forgive him.
It wasn't that A-Train hadn't suffered enough; it was because Hughie saw that, deep down, A-Train was still the same person who had killed Robin (temporarily), the same A-Train who hadn't hesitated to kill his girlfriend.
Hughie knew that if A-Train were in good health, he would still be the same, and that's why he couldn't forgive him. So he just left.
Mother's Milk didn't mock him and patted him on the shoulder. Frenchie also understood Hughie's feelings and didn't make fun of him.
...
A black car stopped in front of a house in the suburbs. Butcher looked at the house while Allen remained silent by his side.
"What's the matter?" Allen sighs impatiently, "It's what you've wanted all this time."
"It's not that simple, kid..." Butcher clenched his hands on the steering wheel, growing angry but then immediately becoming melancholic. "All these years, she's been here."
"Do you want me to stop you if you get angry?" Allen chuckled, earning an annoyed look from Butcher.
"Stop joking... she's my wife... even if she stabbed me, I'd never hurt her."
"Heh, then stop being a coward, Butcher, and get out!" Allen opened the door and pushed Butcher out.
"Fucking kid" Butcher fell to the ground.
"Don't be a coward, old man."
Butcher stood up from the ground, fuming. "You're a little bastard!"
Allen shrugged and leaned back in the driver's seat.
Gwen – No, I understand... I just don't understand why Rebecca chose to leave her husband in ignorance...
MJ – I'm furious too. I would run to my Allen's arms... I wouldn't escape...
Felicia – You can say that because Allen is strong, but against a Superman, a regular man wouldn't stand a chance... it was just too unfair... everything in that world is unfair.
Natasha – Every woman loves differently... but I understand them... I would die in Allen's arms before living separated from him...
Diana – ... I couldn't bear to see him die, so I'd make him hate me... then I would try to kill Homelander or die trying... praying to the gods that he could find happiness...
Emma Frost – No! I would do whatever it takes to destroy Homelander with my own hands, even if I have to take the world down with me! I would never forgive someone who harms the one I love the most!
Nikky – The comments are getting intense... well, that doesn't matter. The captain is super strong; none of that would happen~~
Rogue – Sometimes I'm surprised by the blind confidence you have in Allen... Hehe, but I agree with Nikky; Allen would never let that happen~
Ruby – True ❤️~
Raven – I feel that before something like that happened, I'd prefer to let my father out...
Ivy – I don't see the need to hide from your husband for so long...
Maria Hill – There is an agreement... but, strangely, she never contacted her husband.
Barbara – The child has powers since birth, right?... Surprisingly, Rebecca Butcher wasn't torn apart by the baby...
Kara – I would hit Homelander so hard he'd be sent to the sun if he tried anything with me... By the way, my cousin's children with a human woman are dangerous during childbirth?
Starfire – I hope they can reconcile; love is a wonderful thing!... hee hee~
Donna – I don't understand why the master came; I'm just not interested in watching this soap opera. Something like this can't happen to me or my master.
Emma W – I don't want to comment on this; it's too delicate... but I'm not that strong; I think I'd crumble...
Megan – I would have aborted without hesitation; it's not the child of the man I love...
Hestia – I wonder if they will reconcile; it would seem strange if they just hugged and kissed.
Artemis (Bana-Mighdall) – it's obvious this is headed straight for divorce~
Athena – I'm not the right person to comment on this situation...
Aphrodite – Tsk, what a bitch... I would never bear children with anyone other than my Allen ❤️~
Hippolyta – I've spent the last centuries close to Allen and had forgotten that there are men like Homelander...
Antiope – Love is complicated...
Tearju – What a problematic situation, and there's an innocent child...
Gil-chan – Nonsense, a king like me doesn't care about something like this...
Carol – A reunion after years of separation... how awkward...
Harley – Daddy, I need to know what they say!
Allen closed his eyes but was reading the comments. While some people took the situation very seriously and their frustration with Rebecca's actions was evident, Allen smiled and was concerned about the words from the girls willing to die before abandoning him, like MJ and Natasha, and was left speechless by those who had blind faith in him, like Nikky... Finally, the girls who threatened to destroy the world, like Emma Frost, put him in trouble.
...
Butcher slowly approached the door, each step feeling like a heavy burden of thousands of tons.
He was surprised, having dreamed of this moment countless times only to wake up and realize it wasn't real.
His throat was dry, his body weak.
It had been years since he worried about his appearance. Should he have shaved? Should he have cut his hair? Was he already old? William felt like a high school student about to go on his first date.
A mix of anticipation, fear, and peace filled him.
Anticipation at seeing Becca once more, anticipation to see her eyes, to see her face, to see her smile...
Fear of her reaction. Would she be angry? Would she yell at him to leave? Did she even remember him? What if she had moved on? maybe he would find another man with her.
And peace... peace because, regardless of whether she still remembered him or not, she was alive and well... that was enough.
Butcher didn't need to reach the entrance when the door opened...
....
Rebecca Butcher finished preparing breakfast for her son and turned on the TV to watch the news.
Lately, she had been watching the news a lot because it was flooded with bad news for Vought International. Rebecca felt as if some higher power was punishing the company.
Her life had been ruined by them, by their eagerness to play god, by their tendency to treat life as a joke and create monsters.
"If they were destroyed, could I return to my old life? To my hometown? To my old job? To him..."
Rebecca Butcher shook her head. What right did she have? William had probably moved on with his life; he might be married with children by now.
She had chosen her path and had to live each day bitterly, cursing the day she went to that party, cursing the day she met Homelander, and the day she trusted a superhero.
Not a day goes by that she doesn't hate Homelander and longs for William. After all, one was the man she promised to love for the rest of her life, and the other was an abuser who destroyed her life.
Rebecca wiped the tears from her eyes and prepared to greet her son, who would wake up any moment.
Rebecca didn't hate her son. Though initially afraid of him, after all, a super baby could easily break Rebecca's arm. She had even had nightmares about him biting her while she was breastfeeding and...
Rebecca shook her head.
But now it was different. She had learned to trust that, no matter what happened, Ryan would never hurt her...
Her only regret, which she couldn't blame on Ryan, was that his father was not the man she loved but a monster.
...
Rebecca checked the time and the day and decided to go check her mailbox; the bills should have arrived by now, even though Vought paid for everything, she still received them.
When she stepped outside, she froze...
In front of her stood the person she had dreamed about every night...
In front of them was the person she loved the most and with whom she had the most regrets...
Butcher regretted that his wife had to do something like this to protect him, as he was just a man who couldn't fight against god.
Rebecca regretted all the pain she caused by abandoning him without saying a word...
Allen observed the uncomfortable yet peaceful silence between them as if two long-held desires had been fulfilled at the same time.
Allen smiled because it seemed that everything went as smoothly as possible...
Madelyn had kept her promise, and once she was assured of help, she decided to tell everything.
Regarding why she had gone to The Boys and not to the CIA or the government in general, the answer was simple: Stan Edgar.
All the contacts and friends Madelyn could have were Stan Edgar's acquaintances. All the important connections she had existed because of Stan Edgar.
For her, trusting her contacts meant falling into Stan Edgar's hands, which was very dangerous. From what she could gather, this man had not hesitated to sacrifice a genius of the era like Jonah Vogelbaum.
Mr. Edgar was a heartless man when it came to decision-making. If he decided that Madelyn was more useful dead, he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice her. With this in mind, Madelyn felt cornered, then remembered Billy Butcher—a man with a psychopathic appearance who had come to Vought a couple of times as a detective, even once using the CIA's backing to meet her in person.
Madelyn had scoffed at the time. She was used to detectives, reporters, private investigators, and all kinds of people looking for the slightest error to damage Vought.
But unlike them, Billy Butcher had left a chilling impression on her, like a jackal waiting for the smallest slip to sink its teeth into Vought's neck. Madelyn soon remembered why his name sounded familiar: Rebecca Butcher.
Madelyn was certain that there was no way Stan Edgar could influence Billy Butcher. There was no way those eyes filled with hatred could belong to Stan Edgar.
Madelyn decided to trust The Boys...
...
(In a private building near the west coast)
Orchestral music filled the room with a soft touch, Requiem d'après Beethoven...
Stan Edgar reclined in his chair as the notes entered his ears...
"Do you dislike the music, Sage?" Stan Edgar asked, without looking at Sage but knowing that she had her brow furrowed at that moment.
"All forms of art are nothing more than a waste of time..."
Sage's cold words indicated her dissatisfaction. Edgar knew the reason; he had rejected her plan once again.
"Beethoven's Requiem..."
"Edgar, are you really going to start talking about a dead musician? Life isn't made up of beauty but of facts..."
"What is life without beauty?"
"Art is just an excuse for people without real achievements to justify being idolized by others..."
"Idolized? Perhaps many don't deserve it, but respecting their work isn't a bad thing. They dedicated their lives to creating something that would last through the ages..."
"What a boring debate, Stan..."
"Hehe, Beethoven had health problems throughout his life..."
"I know; I memorized his entire biography and that of all possible artists and concluded... that it was a waste of time."
"Memorizing and understanding are two different things..."
"…"
"When Beethoven reached the end of his life, he was almost deaf, yet he managed to keep persevering... It may seem insignificant, but isn't it that human spirit that has brought our civilization to this day?"
"…"
"I admire those who face many seemingly impossible problems with unbreakable will..."
"You're a hypocrite... Stan Edgar..."
"…"
"You say that after what you've done..."
Edgar didn't respond, instead gazing out the window. A faint smile on his lips would send shivers down people's spines.
...
Allen decided to step back and let them handle their issues. At that moment, Allen's spider sense activated, and he was completely caught off guard.
From the sky, two intense heat rays fell, targeting Butcher and his wife.
It was Homelander!!
But he couldn't be here; Madelyn had never revealed Rebecca Butcher's location.
Butcher covered his wife with his body to protect her.
Allen extended his hand and created a shield at a distance around them, blocking the attack. However, Homelander was filled with rage and continued attacking many nearby houses. Soon, the neighborhood was filled with screams as everything burned.
Allen emerged, destroying the car, and flew toward Homelander.
"Damn you, Stan Edgar!!!"
That was all Allen could think. Only that bastard could have obtained Rebecca Butcher's location and provided that information to Homelander.
Allen reached Homelander immediately and struck him in the face. However, he did not fly away as expected.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!!!"
Allen grew frustrated as Homelander, with veins bulging and a reddish tint to his skin, looked at him as though he were an annoyance.
[Host, detecting a concentration of Compound V four hundred percent higher than previous readings.]
"What?!"
Allen was shocked. Immediately, Homelander's fist slammed into his stomach, causing him pain. Homelander's strength, speed, and resilience had multiplied several times!
===
A/N: 🗿
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