After the tension caused by Butcher's declaration, there was an unusual silence.
"No."
Allen's response was expected. He has always rejected being called a superhero, hero, or savior.
Starfire – I don't understand why you refuse. You basically spend most of your time doing the work of a hero.
Diana – That's the answer I anticipated.
Natasha – Allen doesn't feel comfortable being labeled as a force for good or evil.
Allen is fine with being in the gray area because he will act selfish or selfless depending on the situation, and he cannot guarantee that he will always be the good guy.
Even pretending and acting is too difficult because taking on the role of a superhero is too burdensome for someone like Allen. While he can pretend to be a villain, he is uncomfortable pretending to be a superhero.
"Why?" Butcher asked, confused. "You're the kind of guy who would help someone in trouble... unless you're such a good actor that you've fooled a bastard who's dedicated his entire life to seeing through lies."
"I just do it on a whim and out of necessity," Allen paused, feeling that the explanation wasn't sufficient. "Look, I'm not some heartless bastard. I do what a decent person would do, and if someone needs help, I'll lend a hand. But I don't want people to think I'm Mother Teresa. I'm not."
"Hahaha, it seems like reviving someone is something simple enough for a good Samaritan to do," Butcher had a disagreeable smile while he thought 'That's exactly why you'd be perfect as a hero. Not a hypocrite with savior complexes, not an idealist, but a good-hearted man. That's enough. Why haven't any Supes been like that? Is our world doomed? Is it a punishment from God for wanting to be like Him?'
Butcher mocked himself. A hopeless bastard shouldn't be thinking about such things. Allen was certainly useful; if he could unmask those bastards and let the world see who they really are, he would have achieved half his goal.
Putting aside Butcher's thoughts and Allen's declaration that Chat was already aware of, everyone focused on a very important topic.
This topic hadn't been touched before because Chat had reached an unspoken consensus to avoid the subject unless Allen brought it up.
– "Can Allen bring people back to life?" –
That sounds more like something beyond superpowers. As absurd as it is impossible, even in a world with superpowers, life and death are often unknown and even taboo enigma. But it's strange because there were many times Allen could have used that power and never did.
Allen sighed. He didn't want to discuss it, but it was impossible that no one would wonder how he brought Robin back to life. "... It's not that simple. One of the conditions over time is that after a certain period, reviving someone should be impossible…" Allen responded by mixing truths and lies.
"Why?!" exclaimed Butcher.
Butcher stopped smiling when Allen mentioned the topic. It wasn't impossible to understand why he brought it up: his wife. However, in one timeline, she is alive, and Butcher doesn't know it, while in another, she dies horribly.
"It's about the soul... the soul exists... and if too much time passes, the soul is no longer here…"
Hughie began to sweat, feeling he shouldn't be hearing something like this.
[The longer the time, the more expensive it becomes, as the soul of the person in question will be further away or may even have reincarnated.]
Butcher fell silent for a moment and then continued, "Look, I don't like the idea any more than you do. I'd sell my soul to the devil to slaughter every Supes in the world, but that's not possible. And as long as Vought exists, it doesn't matter how many Supes I kill... this will never end!."
They didn't know whether to thank the bastard Butcher for always having that insensitivity about topics no one else wants to touch, As easily as he made everyone uncomfortable, Butcher was able to change the subject.
Allen frowned at Butcher, it was the same Billy Butcher? the bloodthirsty Billy Butcher? how did that guy come up with such a thing?
"From my point of view, you're a bastard, Butcher, willing to use everyone and everything to deal with the Supes. How do you want to do something like this? It doesn't make sense..." said Allen.
This time, it was Allen's turn to interrogate Butcher.
Rick – I've certainly met monsters and demons with more heart than this guy called Butcher.
Felicia – In no timeline does he show mercy or heart, at least not at first.
Gwen – I hope it's not a trap. If it is, Allen, be careful.
Tony – On my part, I think men like Butcher are necessary for society. Sometimes you need people like that. But I don't see why he would suggest something like this.
Nikky – It's a trap!!
Butcher ran a red light before speaking, looking at Allen through the rearview mirror.
"I don't know how to explain it, kid, but for the first time... a Supe didn't make me want to kill him... I didn't know why... However, after observing and interacting with you, I still don't feel like killing you."
"Huh... thanks I guess"
"Wtf" Frenchie opened his mouth upon hearing the words of the damn psychopath Butcher.
Butcher ignored Frenchie's look of disbelief and continued. "It might be my mistake... and if so, and you're a bastard, I don't care about the cost. I'll kill you if I survive. But maybe, just maybe you are... different."
"..." Allen remained silent for a while as Hughie gritted his teeth. Then he turned to Allen.
"I- I'll never forget what happened! I know life is full of things we can't control. I know bad things happen, and we can't avoid them, but!... but." Hughie shook his head and then looked Allen in the eyes. "I never felt as powerless as I did at that moment. The feeling that there are beings capable of taking everything from you and you can't even scream or protest is too unfair. I know Robin is alive, but every day more Supes appear. How long until one drops a bus on my house? I can't sleep, I can't be at peace. I feel like someone in the sky is watching me and making me feel suffocated. It's like that all the time... except... when you're around."
"That sounded romantic, Hughie," Butcher mocked.
Gwen – Hey! Find your Allen somewhere else!
MJ – Keep your hands off my Allen!
Felicia – Looks like Allen's charm knows no boundaries.
Natasha – This is ridiculous!
Diana – No!
(Allen has plenty of cakes he doesn't need dry bread 🗿)
...
Allen had a blank expression. "Sorry, Hughie, but I don't like men."
"I didn't mean that!!" Hughie shouted in the vehicle.
Frenchie, unable to tolerate any more of this, said, "This is ridiculous! We kill a Supe and have a villain in the car! We're screwed if we're found, and you want to turn into a superhero agency?! And what are we supposed to do, rent a damn studio to film hemorrhoid cream commercials like Vought?! That's utter bullshit!!"
"Calm down, Frenchie..." Butcher said with a frown.
"I'm not calming down, Butcher. My life was fine until you showed up with your crazy plans and captured a Supe!!"
Butcher mocked Frenchie and slammed the car to a stop. The tires burned the asphalt, and Butcher grabbed Frenchie by the collar of his clothes, "Were you fine? Tell me to my face, were you fine?!!"
"I..." Frenchie looked away.
Butcher let go of Frenchie and started driving again. A few streets later, he spoke again.
"We can end it here... and return to our lives. Hughie can continue being an ordinary guy, Frenchie can go back to cooking crap, Allen will remain a villain, and I'll be a Supe hunter... or we can try..."
...
Allen got out of the vehicle. He had a day to consider it, but this meant straying far from the original plot.
Harleen – From my professional perspective, Butcher needs urgent help. However, I don't think it's a bad idea.
Ivy – You have already pretended to be a supervillain... so, I don't see why you can't pretend to be a superhero.
Allen had a decision before him, and objectively, Ivy's words hit the mark. There was no reason not to be a superhero, but Allen wasn't entirely convinced.
Felicia – Allen, don't forget about Starlight. We don't know if the story has changed.
Allen immediately took out his phone and began searching for information on Starlight. Indeed, she had given a speech while he was with Translucent.
"Damn!"
...
Starlight stood in front of the press, with dozens of cameras pointed at her. She didn't feel well; she had only reviewed the speech a couple of times, and she didn't like it.
The speech began with a warm and cheerful greeting, with a note instructing her to wink at the camera and act pleasant and playful.
Starlight felt a shiver just starting with that. It got worse when she mentioned her admiration for Vought America and Homelander, as well as her eagerness to serve everyone wholeheartedly. There was an aside that told her to lower her voice and have a seductive tone.
Starlight felt like they were pushing her to be a flirty cheerleader.
Why? This wasn't what she had dreamed of...
Behind the scenes, Ashley watched, biting her nails. She wasn't foolish; she knew this was too much for Annie, but there was no choice. After the Seven were humiliated in a short period, they needed something that would make an impact.
...
Ashley recalls that meeting where she presented her proposals for Starlight. She considered letting Annie give her own speech and seeing what kind of image they should invent for her.
A cute small-town girl with high moral values?
Brave girl with great admiration for superheroes?
Pleasant girl with lots of positivity?
Kind, calm girl with strong ideals, willing to fight for them.
Homelander got up from his chair, grabbed all the papers, and tore them up in front of Ashley.
"Listen, thanks to your inability to keep these monkeys under control, there were two public humiliations on the same day..." Homelander smiled at Ashley's terrified face. "You're going to use her to create a distraction. I don't care how, but it has to be impactful enough to make people stop thinking about how A-Train fled and how he and Translucent couldn't stop a simple villain even with the support of two dozen heroes!!"
"S-Si."
Ashley had never seen Homelander so angry. Of course, she knew the reason, but no one understood where that Supe had come from. Had someone betrayed them and secretly given the Compound V to a foreign country?
It didn't matter right now. Ashley could only focus on restoring the image of the Seven.
Ashley was willing to sacrifice Starlight for this. It didn't matter if her popularity among the general public fell: "The sexy vixen always attracted men."
...
While Ashley was tearing her hair out behind the scenes, Starlight thought about her life. She was a rookie with no reputation or support. She only needed to make one mistake to be expelled from the Seven.
In her heart, she felt fear, disappointment, and a lot of sadness. Maybe this whole world was just smoke and mirrors.
'I still...'
She looked at the cameras while ignoring "her" speech. If she was going to be expelled for this, so be it. At least she wanted to say something.
"Throughout my life, I admired superheroes, not for their great powers, but because despite those powers, they used them to help others."
"We live in a strange world where children capable of walking through walls and destroying vehicles are born. We live in a world where people like me have supernatural powers that defy the laws of physics all the time."
"However, I am proud that out of the hundreds and hundreds of Supes born, only a tiny few choose to harm others or use their powers to fulfill their desires. I'm truly glad that so many superheroes are saving the day and helping so many people, and I am very proud to be part of that."
Starlight came to the last of what she wanted to say in a brittle voice because she thought it might be her first and last appearance here.
"I don't k-know... I don't know if it will be a day or a year, but I hope to be someone who can live with her head held high as a superheroine."
...
Ashley dropped her tablet and then knelt, feeling weak. The little b*tch had ruined the presentation with her idealistic superhero nonsense.
Damn it!!
However, the silence didn't last long, and the first applause started. Then came the cheers. Ashley looked up and saw the crowd had loved it. She smiled; it wasn't what she had expected, but it was fine if it worked.
...
Starlight was moved and even cried. She had disobeyed the instructions and might be expelled, but she managed to make her words reach people. That had to mean something.
Starlight exited the stage and walked toward Ashley fearfully "I...I'm sorry."
'Poor girl... she'll be devastated when she learns the truth...' Ashley thought while forcing a smile. "Starlight was incredible! Oh my God!, the public loves you!, everyone loves you!, I love you!.....let's hope God loves you too"
Ashley's last words revealed hidden fear. She was just doing her job, but none of the Seven paid attention to her most of the time, and now even the new girl disobeys.
As long as they got out of this predicament, that was all that mattered.
Starlight sensed something false in Ashley's words, but she didn't think it was too serious given how she was congratulating her.
...
Shortly thereafter, something improved Annie's mood. She was given a tour of the entire building by the incomparable, The Deep!
Starlight, of course, knew about him and immediately showed admiration. This inflated The Deep's ego and made him feel good. At the same time, he couldn't stop watching Starlight's figure. Though initially moderate, he soon discovered that Starlight was an innocent girl from a small town, a fact she was constantly presented as.
But he thought it was just a backstory to add more drama, like Maeve being a warrior queen.
The Deep licked his lips, wondering if he should start the initiation of his new teammate.
...
*Starlight's POV*
I feel uncomfortable...
I've felt this way ever since I got here, even meeting one of the superheroes I've admired so much. It's a strange feeling of discomfort.
The Deep graciously showed me around the building. Despite knowing all his feats, from saving people to sinking a cruise ship in the Pacific or stopping an invasion of radiation-mutated sea creatures, I felt uneasy next to him.
Am I intimidated because he's such a great superhero?
"These are the Guinness records we hold," he said, laughing as he pointed to the frames on the shelf. "Of course, we don't take them too seriously because it's a bit unfair."
So far, he hasn't stopped showing me trophies, medals, recognitions, and gifts from various important people.
He was supposed to give me advice on being a superhero.
Again...
I stopped looking at the trophies and turned to face him because I felt his gaze on me, but he wasn't looking when I turned...
I don't like this suit... no, it's not the suit; it's how he looks at me... no! What am I thinking? He's The Deep, one of the most incredible superheroes in the world. How can I doubt his integrity?!
It's okay, calm down Starlight. You're overwhelmed by how quickly everything has happened, so you should calm down.
Everything will be fine...
The Deep took me to the meeting room, the place all the kids dream of visiting.
I was impressed by this place I'd only seen in movies... so much so that I forgot my discomfort and fear.
"By the way, Starlight... no, Annie, you have a nice name..."
"Huh, thanks?"
He looked me up and down while licking his lips...it was disgusting.
"You know, there are things that aren't revealed to the world, things that people don't know... but they're necessary..."
What is he saying? Why do I want to run?!
"You are cute, beautiful, sexy and just the thought of working with you turns me on."
"You!..."
The feeling of discomfort turned into fear. I took two steps back but bumped into someone. It was Black Noir, the silent superhero who always wears black and never shows his face.
I backed away from both of them.
"Well, we're superheroes, but we also have a human side. To improve our teamwork, we need to get... closer..."
No! What's happening?! What is he saying?!
The response came in the worst way possible. The Deep and Black Noir dropped their pants in front of me.
"To get closer as a team we should get to know each other thoroughly, don't you think?"
"NO!!"
I felt something break inside me. I knew something was very wrong, and that something I had felt since I arrived was now revealed.
"Lies! It was all lies!"
I started crying as I looked at these bastards. Deep down, I knew, but I refused to accept the reality.
*End of POV*
"You were lying! This can't be the Seven!"
The lights began to flicker, and Starlight wanted to attack them, but Black Noir appeared and punched her in the face. The blow was so hard and fast that she fell to the ground without understanding what had happened.
"Urgh!!"
Black Noir stepped on Annie's head, preventing her from moving.
With a sinister smile, The Deep continued, "Come on, sweetie, Annie. We're not monsters, but sometimes reality is harsh. Look, you can scream and cry if you want, but the truth is, we have to endure a lot ourselves and deserve proper rewards, don't we?" He said, walking toward her with his pants down.
Annie couldn't accept this. 'Why?!' Crying and looking at The Deep's smile, feeling the pain in her face and the taste of blood in her mouth, she came to the harsh reality that those who learned the truth faced.
"T...There are no heroes—"
At that moment, Annie's eyes widened just before something enveloped in light struck The Deep's face.
Time seemed to slow down as she watched the bastard's jaw break in slow motion. At the same time,
"BASTARDS!!"
With a cry of fury, The Deep was sent flying out of the building, as the windows shattered from the shockwave.
"What?!" Annie exclaimed. She recognized him; it was the new villain who had appeared. She stood in shock, watching him stand after destroying the Seven's meeting room.
"Hey..." he turned to Annie with the most terrifying gaze she had ever seen. However, the girl felt no fear from him because he wasn't addressing her.
"Bad Batman imitation stop stepping on her head... or I'll rip your foot off!..."
Allen didn't wait for him to decide and fired a burst of energy that created a massive hole in the building. Annie felt Black Noir's foot stop pressing down on her.
Annie sat on the floor as the wind breezed into the building blowing away the traces of dust, she didn't understand why he was there, why he had saved her.
"Why?..." Annie asked, showing no fear of the cruel villain before her.
Allen looked at her, and all hostility vanished. This surprised her. Then he did something that left her even more speechless: he knelt and checked her cheek.
"You seem to be okay... if we ignore that hit, of course. Being a superheroine, you're quite strong haha," he said with a laugh. Seeing the brightest smile Annie had ever seen, she felt that her soul had been stolen.
'Nothing makes sense anymore...'
Suddenly, tears returned, and Annie threw herself onto her chest to cry, as if she wanted to express all the injustices she had suffered. She felt confused but strangely safe, clinging to that feeling regardless of coming from the "worst" person in the world.
Allen hugged her to comfort her, but his eyes shifted to the window, and he saw something that made him feel angry.
"So you're here..." Allen said coldly.
===
A/N: This chapter is a poem to irony 🗿🍷
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