章節 296: 296 The Boys: A Fate Worse Than Death, Congress Supports Vought and A Deadly Blow.
(Before Ezekiel's Event)
At this point in the canon, Homelander should be delivering a "moving" message at the funeral for the one hundred twenty-three passengers. However, this time it was quite the opposite; both Homelander and Queen Maeve were summoned to provide their testimonies in the investigation of Flight 37.
Vought couldn't escape this situation so easily; they tried to bribe the passengers, but no one accepted the money. As a result, this would lead to a trial. Unfortunately, as in any country, the judicial system is slow and tedious. Cases like this take a long time to process while evidence is gathered and witnesses are questioned. Then there's the issue of bureaucracy and corruption. Rest assured, Vought's army of high-priced lawyers will use every tactic to delay this trial as much as possible.
In summary, it could take months before Homelander is summoned before a judge.
...
Homelander walked over to a bench where Maeve was sitting.
"Maeve, I'm glad you're still here..."
Maeve wanted to retort that he was the one who forced her, and she told him, "I hope to see you when this is all over," in a tone that was clearly threatening.
Homelander smiled and sat down beside her. "What's wrong, Maeve?"
"You know what's wrong..."
"Are you worried about the trial?" Homelander sneered with mockery and arrogance. "Maeve, remember that time in Albuquerque, the guy who had someone hostage and you went in, and the guy shot the hostages?"
Maeve shivered at the memory. It was at that moment she realized that reality didn't work like it did in the movies; the bad guys didn't freeze, waiting for you to make your move. "The early missions... were filled with fear; we never knew what would happen."Homelander smiled wistfully, "Yes, I also... had some setbacks in my first mission..."
"What are you getting at?" Meave felt shivers at the sight of Homelander, she didn't know if he considered that she betrayed him by not helping him at that moment.
Homelander smiled and placed his hand on Maeve's shoulder. "From that moment, Stan, Madelyn, and I realized that the best way to handle things was to take control of everything..."
Maeve felt uncomfortable with the touch of the monster Homelander had become, but hearing his words, she widened her eyes in disbelief.
Homelander stood up. He had a fleeting smile that lasted a second before he became serious again. Maeve knew that Homelander only used that smile when he was angry and forced himself to smile for appearances.
"Maeve... this trial... is just a formality," Homelander's gaze lit up. "There's no one who can truly judge us, and they know it."
"..."
"The lawyers will delay this trial whenever necessary, and I assure you that by the time it becomes unavoidable, Vought will be untouchable in this country... and in the world."
Maeve remained silent, feeling terrified. She had always thought of Homelander as a monster, but she had always believed that was limited to his power and irritable personality. Now she understood that she might not have known him as well as she thought.
Homelander shook his head. "I'll talk to Madelyn about canceling that stupid expulsion from the Seven for mind control. I need you by my side. You may have made mistakes, but I KNOW you won't fail again, right?"
"..."
"Right?"
"...yes."
"That's my girl."
Homelander flew away, leaving Maeve curled up on the park bench.
At first, she was annoyed at being removed from the Seven, but she thought it could be an opportunity to distance herself from everything and everyone. However, she couldn't escape; Homelander wouldn't let her, not with how controlling he was. Perhaps for him, she was his property.
Maeve stayed in that place, not knowing how long until a notification pulled her out of her trance.
"What?!" Maeve shouted, unable to believe what she was reading.
...
Ezekiel is a very good speaker. While the content of his speeches might be superficial and questionable, he remains charismatic on stage. Just as Ezekiel was about to finish, Homelander arrived, creating a huge commotion.
Immediately, Ashley ran to clear away the irate fans while Homelander seemed to enjoy himself.
"Don't touch him!," Ashley said as Homelander made his way through the crowd to his private area.
Once inside, Homelander's smile faded. "I don't like this. Call Madelyn."
"She's taking a break."
"I don't care; I need to speak with her!"
Ashley shrank back, unable to do anything. Homelander huffed and left the place as soon as he arrived.
...
Madelyn Stillwell got out of her black SUV with her son Teddy in her arms. Homelander landed, and she looked at him with exasperation but still smiled.
"What do you need?"
"I need you."
"I'm taking Teddy to his pediatric appointment."
"Reschedule it."
"This is the third time I've done that..."
Homelander growled but ended up conceding and speaking right there.
"Madelyn, this speech feels like a damn corporate commercial."
"The speech is perfect."
"Madelyn, we're talking about God... these are my people!"
"Yes, and you know very well the mess we're in. There will be many Democrats watching you all the time, and you need to be more neutral. You have to appear friendly to the Democrats without neglecting the Republicans. The bill might not be dead yet."
"What are you talking about?"
Madelyn smiled. "Maybe your hated enemy might help us more than you think."
"What?!"
"Listen, this is still a secret, but Jack The Jupiter is dead..."
"The damn pervert with no nose? And what does that matter?"
"It was all recorded, and the politicians realized that letting such powerful beings free could be a problem, and maybe it's better to regulate their behavior... maybe introducing them into the military is a good idea."
"How?" Homelander didn't understand how this had happened. How they went from condemning them and losing all congressional support to almost passing the law.
"I'm not sure yet... but it's a reality."
Madelyn had just found out about it through her contacts and hadn't seen the recordings. However, she also had her doubts. She knew Jack The Jupiter; she was the one who expelled him from the Seven. She didn't understand how that degenerate had affected Congress so much, but this was good.
Ironically, Vought wanted something like the Sokovia Accords presented in Marvel, which ended up dividing the Avengers. Of course, since they didn't aim to do good, this agreement was what they wanted most of all.
Homelander laughed, spreading his arms. "This is great news!"
"Yes," Madelyn smiled.
Homelander was pleased. Entering the military means more power, and having more power makes Homelander happy.
But Madelyn would soon understand the reason for such a sudden proposal. She would realize that something that made Congressmen fear could not be good for them. And perhaps next time, she would think twice before underestimating the power of supers outside of Homelander.
Madelyn was naive, but Stan Edgar was not...
...
Allen met up with Butcher after Ezekiel stepped off the stage and Homelander went somewhere.
"Well, well, it looks like our boy is quite the ladies' man," Butcher said with an unpleasant grin. "Although it'd be better if you chose girls who couldn't rip your heart out with their bare hands if you pissed them off."
"Hi, Butcher. It's reassuring to see you're still a bastard," Allen huffed, glancing at Hughie and MM. "You should know them by now. This is Annie January and Kimiko..."
Butcher pointed at the pair next to him. "Haha, well, let me introduce them. This is Hughie and Mother's Milk, call him MM. A couple of suicidal idiots looking to start trouble with Vought."
"Nice to meet you," MM said. "One less super at Vought is one less headache for us."
"It's a pleasure," Hughie said, looking at Annie and Kimiko with some nervousness. "And it's nice that you're not trying to kill us this time."
After the awkward introductions, everyone agreed they should wait for Homelander to leave and only approach Ezekiel to avoid a massacre of innocent people if Allen and Homelander clashed.
Hughie was designated to find Ezekiel, and once they were alone, Allen and his group would capture him.
Since Starlight wasn't there to help Hughie find Ezekiel, Allen pulled out a cash card he had obtained in this world.
"How do you have fifteen thousand dollars to spend, brother?" MM said incredulously. Allen didn't look like someone with money.
"That bothers me for some reason..."
Allen had a massive amount of debt, but he wasn't completely broke. It's worth remembering that Allen had a long career in one of the best-paid professions in the Harry Potter universe, an Auror. Additionally, Allen still received his salary as the director of the most dangerous mental institution/maximum-security prison in DC, which isn't a low salary. Only Ivy, as deputy director, earned enough not to think about committing crimes again.
"Just take it; I'll get it back later."
Hughie looked at the card with some trepidation, but he remembered why he was there and mustered his courage.
Allen smiled at this and gave Hughie a pat on the back. "Hughie, you might not believe it, but you're braver than many."
"Thanks," Hughie said, smiling.
...
Hughie paid for entry and went inside to get the chance to meet Ezekiel in person.
MM and Butcher stayed away from the area, making sure there were no surprises.
Allen gave each girl a bracelet, it was created by Rebecca and creates a small interference field that makes them invisible to Homelander's X-ray vision. Rebecca created it based on the fact that Homelander cannot see through Zing.
"Oh~" Annie smiled happily thinking it was a gift and put it on.
"..." Kimiko didn't understand but seeing Annie she put it on too.
...
Allen, Annie, and Kimiko approached from one side. Annie used her powers to destroy the camera.
"Good job," Allen said.
"It's nothing," Annie replied, clearly embarrassed.
"..." Kimiko stepped forward and struck a guard on the back of the neck, leaving him unable to react. She then dragged him toward Allen.
"...Well done, Kimiko."
"..." Kimiko smiled, then glanced at Starlight, who frowned at the obvious provocation.
"Hmph"
Allen was concerned. This wasn't the time to start a fight over jealousy. If Allen were in another world, he might have allowed them to do whatever they wanted, but in this world, Allen wasn't invincible.
"Girls, don't fight," Allen said, looking in the direction of Ezekiel's tent and sensing danger for Hughie. However, it was minor and soon disappeared.
'Homelander...'
....
Raven – The life of a womanizer is complicated.
Kara – Tsk...
Donna – Ah... what do I have to do to be there? :"(
...
(Ezekiel's private tent)
Hughie found himself surrounded by a lot of people. Despite his nervousness, his anger flared up at the thought of all these people having paid so much money just to be there.
Soon, Ezekiel appeared: A caucasian man with short dyed hair, though his black beard revealed his natural hair color. He wore a sleeveless white shirt that revealed tattoos on his arms, and his pants were also white. His smile was reassuring; if someone saw him up close, they might think he was a good person, but that was far from the truth.
"Welcome, dear brothers and sisters... Today we have a special guest, Brother Homelander."
Everyone applauded, and Hughie felt like he was struggling to breathe. He had never been so close to Homelander, and it was an overwhelming and terrifying feeling. Hughie looked around, and everyone seemed happy and applauded. He wondered why no one else could feel how terrifying Homelander was.
Was Hughie just being paranoid? No, the reason was a combination of knowing the truth about the Supers and the fact of knowing Allen, Hughie grasped the fundamental difference between them.
Homelander smiled and waved, but his attention was focused on Hughie. Unlike the canon, Homelander wasn't supposed to know him before, but he was still intrigued.
"Are you all right?" Homelander asked.
"Yes... Is there something wrong?" Hughie became more nervous.
"Your blood pressure is quite high..."
"No, I'm just nervous about meeting you, sir."
Homelander smiled, and the ceremony continued. After a few more words, they began to "baptize" everyone present in a small tub.
Hughie had to go through it. When Homelander submerged him, he felt fear, as Homelander kept him underwater longer than the others. This was due to Homelander's skill in detecting lies, and of course, he knew Hughie was lying.
Homelander was agitated, feeling cornered constantly due to Allen's presence and the attacks from The Boys. He had never experienced this before, which made him easily irritated. However, Homelander managed to control himself in the end; there was no reason to kill Hughie.
Allen narrowed his eyes. If Homelander had really tried to kill Hughie, he would have torn through the tent and attacked Homelander. None of that happened, and the ritual concluded.
Homelander left, and Hughie stopped Ezekiel before he could leave.
Allen approached the tent and entered with Annie and Kimiko.
"Don't you remember me? That night at that bar, you took me along with some other guys, and we melted in a passionate kiss. You touched my ass with your strong arms~"
Rick – Hahaha
Tony – Hughie is giving it his all! Hahaha
Hulk – Hahaha
Felicia – It's even better to go in and hear something like that! Hahaha
The entire chat burst into laughter at Hughie's words, including Allen, who couldn't contain his own laughter.
Rebecca – 'HAHAHA!'
Nokotan – 'Hughie-san is a funny guy lol'
Bocchi – 'Pfff... I'm s...sorry
...
"What do you want, money?" Ezekiel shouted, extremely annoyed, stretching out one of his arms to strangle Hughie.
"No... but my friend wants to talk to you..."
"I don't give a damn about you—"
Ezekiel's words were cut off as Allen entered the room, discarding his disguise and his hair returning to its natural color.
"Hello..."
"You!"
Before Ezekiel could react, Allen grabbed his outstretched arm and squeezed it until it broke. Ezekiel tried to scream, but Allen grabbed his face.
Ezekiel felt terrified. Despite being a super, he felt powerless against Allen's strength. He felt as though the monster holding him could crush his face with just a little more pressure.
"Ezekiel... You're a reasonable man. Will you talk, or should I let Kimiko cut open your abdomen and watch your intestines fall out?" Kimiko displayed her claws to emphasize the threat.
Ezekiel nodded quickly, and Allen let him go. He fell to the floor, gasping and clutching his broken arm, but he didn't dare scream.
"They'll kill me," Ezekiel pleaded.
Allen raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling this to the villain who killed Translucent, attacked the Vought Tower, and faced Homelander twice?"
Ezekiel began to tremble. It made no sense to beg for mercy from a ruthless monster. It was fortunate that Ezekiel was a coward, unlike Jack The Jupiter, whom Allen had known. After facing Jack, Allen wasn't sure if he could trust his knowledge of The Boys' personalities. Ezekiel might have been a suicidal lunatic who preferred to die rather than talk. But that wasn't the case.
"Speak... " declared Allen coolly.
"I'll tell you everything. Just don't kill me..."
The organization created by Vought, "The Samaritan Embrace," was responsible for distributing Compound V across the country to create superpowered children. They disguised the compound in polio vaccines and sent it to hospitals nationwide. They used to maintain control, but recently, Vought had been creating supers on a massive scale. In a few years, there would be thousands of them, and in a decade...
Ezekiel also mentioned that many times it was done even with parental consent. This enraged the chat.
Rogue – "Those bastards!! They don't know what they could be doing to their children. Not all powers are a blessing!!"
Ruby – "Despicable, using babies as test subjects."
Charles – "This is too sad... so many children caught up in the ambitions of ruthless, ambitious people..."
"Damn it!" Annie stepped forward and punched Ezekiel, shattering his teeth and leaving him unconscious before walking out.
Kimiko approached Ezekiel and stomped on his groin. With his enhanced senses, Allen could hear something breaking and staining Ezekiel's pants red. Ezekiel should thank Annie for that.
Hughie raised his hands and pointed to the exit.
Allen smiled wryly and followed Annie out to talk to her.
Compound V isn't a miracle in a bottle; there are risks, and it can even turn your power into a curse or have very severe side effects, whether physical or mental.
This goes beyond being irreparable, but the parents of these children are convinced either by the benefits Vought promises or through brainwashing done by people like Ezekiel.
...
Allen left the tent and immediately felt a bad premonition. His heightened instincts and spider-sense worked together, but they couldn't pinpoint the source of the danger. At that moment, Allen felt as if a hammer was striking his head.
"Huh?!"
Felicia – Allen?!
Gwen – Are you ok?!
MJ – Dear?!
It was a mental attack, one at the level of an Omega mutant. At the same time, a blonde girl made her way through the crowd. Allen recognized her immediately; it was Cate Dunlap, the super from the Gen V series capable of controlling others.
Inside his office, Stan Edgar and a woman of color known as Sage watched the screen from a drone flying over Ezekiel's event.
Allen frowned as he saw Cate's hand approaching him...
However, the sense of danger wasn't just the mental attack, likely carried out by Mindstorm, a super capable of incapacitating Soldier Boy, the previous Homelander. Nor was it the girl who could control supers by touching them.
Allen looked up at the sky behind the clouds. There, Black Noir grinned sadistically as he dove through the sky, repeatedly breaking the sound barrier and accelerating faster each second.
Allen felt his spider-sense go haywire. He understood that three supers who could represent a real threat even to Homelander individually, had been assembled as a death squad and were targeting him directly.
"I see... Stan Edgar... are you trying to kill me?!"
===
A/N: The death squad 🍷🗿
Each one capable of finishing Homelander under the right circumstances, with the exception of Black Noir who can kill him anytime.
The Mindstorm – The Boys third season
Cate Dunlap – Gen V
Sage – The Boys fourth season
Black Noir – The Boys Comic
[Allen will need a lot of love after that]
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