Chương 51: The Facility [1]
The dark, desolate highway was illuminated only by the faint glow of distant streetlights, casting long shadows on the road.
A lone truck rumbled along, its cargo hold filled with unknown goods, when suddenly a group of armed gangsters appeared in their vehicles.
They swarmed the vehicle, smashing its windows and forcing the driver to bring it to a screeching halt.
As they began to approach the truck om foot, their laughter echoing in the still night, a sudden gust of wind swept through, knocking a few of them off balance.
Before any of them could react, a blur of black and blue descended from the sky.
Homelander landed gracefully in front of the truck, his eyes glowing faintly red as he scanned the scene.
The gangsters froze, terror overtaking their faces as they realized who had arrived.
"Is this your lucky night?" Homelander said mockingly, his voice cold and indifferent. Without giving them time to respond, he casually flicked his wrist, sending one of the men flying across the highway like a ragdoll.
A quick burst of heat vision melted the car's steering wheel before the rest scattered, disappearing into the darkness with desperation.
With the situation handled, Homelander turned his attention to the truck driver, who was just now crawling out of the cabin, his face pale with fear and relief.
The man stumbled forward, wiping sweat from his brow, and gave Homelander a shaky smile.
"Th-thank you, sir," the driver stammered, his voice trembling with gratitude. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't—"
Homelander's smile widened, a picture of warmth and charm. "No need to thank me. Just doing my part, keeping the roads safe."
The driver nodded, still a little dazed, and turned to head back to his truck.
But just as his hand touched the door handle, Homelander's voice cut through the air, sharp and cold.
"So... you work for the Facility, right?"
The driver froze mid-motion, his breath catching in his throat.
A wave of fear washed over him, and for a moment, he couldn't move.
The world seemed to close in around him, the silence of the highway now deafening.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he slowly turned his head, only to find Homelander's piercing gaze fixed on him, unblinking.
The man's survival instincts kicked in, and in a desperate bid for escape, he bolted toward the truck.
His hand fumbled for the door handle, but before he could get inside, a searing beam of heat vision shot out from Homelander's eyes, welding the door shut with a loud hiss of molten metal.
The driver stumbled back, panic overtaking him as he realized there was no way out.
Homelander approached, calm and composed, like a predator toying with its prey.
He leaned in, his voice soft yet menacing.
"Now, why would you run? I just want to talk to you."
The driver trembled, unable to muster a response, his knees threatening to give out.
His mind raced as he tried to think of a way to escape, but deep down, he knew there was no escape from Homelander.
---
Homelander tightened his grip around the back of the driver's neck, his fingers digging into the man's skin with crushing force.
The sound of bones snapping echoed through the empty highway as the driver let out a sharp scream, his leg crumpling beneath him.
He tried to struggle, but Homelander held him effortlessly, dangling him like a broken marionette.
"You wanted to run so badly, didn't you?" Homelander whispered, a calm smile curling his lips as he dragged the man to the back of the truck.
With his free hand, Homelander grabbed the metal door of the truck and, with a casual yank, ripped it off its hinges.
The door screeched as it was torn apart, revealing the hidden cargo inside.
Chained and drugged, there were mutants.
Their eyes barely open, their bodies slumped in various positions.
Some were old, their faces lined with suffering, while others were heartbreakingly young—far too young to comprehend the cruelty they were enduring.
Among them, a little girl, no older than four, sat trembling, her tiny wrists shackled by oversized metal cuffs.
She stared at Homelander with wide, terrified eyes.
For a moment, Homelander's gaze flickered with something.
Not empathy, but perhaps the faintest recognition of how low humans could stoop.
He would know because he was one of those lows.
He looked back at the driver, his smile fading into absolute calmness.
The man was shaking uncontrollably, sobbing incoherently, his breath ragged and uneven.
He knew what was coming.
He could feel the promise of death in the tightening grip around his neck, the monstrous force that had already shattered his bones.
"You really thought you could run, didn't you?" Homelander said softly, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Thought you'd just get away with this?"
The driver gasped for air, unable to speak, his face contorted in pain.
Tears streamed down his face as he choked on his own terror.
Homelander's smile widened , this time with a twisted sense of satisfaction.
He flexed his fingers slightly, the crackling energy of New order and One for all sparking around his hand as he altered the very laws of physics surrounding the man.
His body tensed, frozen in place, as Homelander raised his arm and pulled back, as if preparing to throw a stone.
But the force behind his hand was far beyond anything human.
With a swift motion, Homelander hurled the man upward, the sheer power of the throw amplified by the bending of physics itself.
The driver's body shot into the air at an impossible speed, his scream fading into nothingness as he was flung into space, disappearing from sight in a matter of seconds.
Homelander watched for a moment, his expression calm, as though he had just disposed of a piece of trash.
Then he turned his attention back to the mutants inside the truck.
The smallest child, the four-year-old, blinked up at him, her wide eyes filled with fear and confusion.
Homelander crouched down, tilting his head as he looked at the little girl. "What are they doing to you, huh?" His voice was soft, almost kind, but the menace in his gaze never left.
He was bout to reach out with his hand but he stopped midway when the self loathing and disgust welled up within him.
He was no different wasn't he ?
His eyes flickered with heat vision for a brief moment as he stood up abruptly.
"Vought will take care of this," he murmured to himself.
"You'll all be saved... one way or another."
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