Butcher ended up blackmailing Popclaw, and she agreed to give them the information they wanted along with the samples of Compound V she had in her possession.
The Boys finally got their hands on Compound V.
Everyone looked at each other with happiness, especially Frenchie and MM, who even high-fived.
"Damn it, Frenchie, we did it!"
Frenchie laughed as he patted Hughie's shoulder. "Hahaha, I thought we'd end up dead this time, but we did it!"
They had tried to take down Vought before, back when The Boys was still a team with Butcher and others, but they had never come this far. In the end, their former boss's grandchildren were burned by Lamplighter, a retired member of The Seven.
This caused almost everyone to leave the team, except for Butcher.
Butcher smiled; he was also happy, feeling that this time would be different. This time, they could destroy Vought International once and for all. However, that sadistic smile didn't last long when Butcher received a message on his phone.
Upon checking the information, Butcher left the team, saying he had something to do. It was clear that Butcher was upset as if he had just learned something unpleasant.
Hughie wanted to ask him what was wrong, seeing the grave look on Butcher's face but decided against it.
...
The man drove to a house in the suburbs.
Butcher got out of his car and looked around discreetly, a habit he had developed long ago, then walked toward the house.
He knocked, and soon a middle-aged blonde woman answered. The woman had a look that suggested she did not want to see Butcher.
"Billy."
"Rachel…"
The woman let him in, showing familiarity but not too much, like that distant relative who is never really welcome but you can't just kick them out because they're family. Rachel went back to her domestic activities while Butcher entered and closed the door behind him. Butcher looked around the familiar place as if he hadn't been there in years.
"Tell me what you need," Rachel said.
"That's how you talk to your brother-in-law?" Butcher replied with a dry tone. "I was passing through and heard something."
Rachel stopped moving and looked at him with some guilt. "You heard?"
"Yeah," Butcher said, with a trace of anger. "How did you do it?"
"We used your last name on the headstone, 'To my dear wife Becca Butcher'…" the woman said with a hint of melancholy, but it wasn't the answer Butcher was looking for, and she continued when she noticed his displeasure. "My mother is getting old and needs a place to talk to her."
"Crying over an empty grave?" Butcher scoffed. "Is that how you plan to forget Becca?"
"She's my sister!" Rachel began to get irritated. "You're not the only one who suffers!"
"And my wife!" Butcher removed his sunglasses and raised his voice. "Becca isn't dead!"
"How long will you keep holding on? Just look at yourself! You're no longer a man, Billy… you're a ghost living for revenge!"
"That's it?! Am I just supposed to forget what happened?!"
"IT'S BEEN EIGHT YEARS! My sister should have died… or maybe she committed suicide."
Butcher slammed his fist on the table, and Rachel looked at him with anger. They both shared the same suffering of losing Becca, but Becca's family was trying to move on with their lives, while Butcher couldn't. That day, the day Becca was abused by Homelander, she disappeared, taking Butcher's humanity with her.
"Leave, Billy, and don't come back…" Rachel said with disgust.
Butcher turned and left. Every time he feels he might be able to move on, the hatred always comes back, as fresh as that day. Butcher knows better than anyone that he cannot forgive; his mind and soul exist only to destroy Homelander.
"There's no way I'll ever forget her…"
...
(Wholesale Warehouse, Queens, NY)
Starlight approached the manager's office.
This place was essentially a front for traffickers. It was quite discreet and hard to spot because it blended in with a well-established and legitimate business.
Annie stood firmly in front of the office with her hands on her hips. She exuded a sense of confidence, but her stance was rather old-fashioned, like something out of a classic comic book.
"Listen up, villains! You have nowhere to run. Come out and surrender! We'll take you all to jail!!" Annie's voice had the kind of bravado that might be expected from a Power Ranger.
Kara – A bit over the top… *Kara cringed with second-hand embarrassment.*
Raven – "..." *Raven couldn't bear to watch and looked away.*
MJ – Oh, poor Annie… I hope she never finds out she's being watched by a huge crowd.
Diana – I think she's cute for acting like that. *Diana smiled as if she were watching one of her younger Amazonian sisters.*
Superman – Starlight's actions are correct, but her method is a bit outdated for today's times. Also… it won't work in this case.
Allen and Kimiko exchanged silent glances. Allen stopped hugging Kimiko, who seemed to have calmed down, and approached Annie.
"Annie, it won't work," Allen advised with a complicated look.
"Why?" Annie turned around, confused, asking with a sincere intention to learn, knowing Allen had more experience.
Allen sighed and pointed to the mercenaries' corpses on the ground. Annie's eyes widened as she understood Allen's words. No criminal with any common sense would believe Annie after seeing Kimiko's brutal actions.
"Get out of here, you monster!" shouted a man from inside. Though his voice was aggressive, fear was evident in his words.
Another mercenary continued with threats, "We've called the police. Get out! This is a legitimate business!"
Annie heard the shouting from inside the office and grew nervous, unsure of what else to do. "N...no, it's not true. You're traffickers!"
Of course, it was absurd to think this was a legitimate business after seeing the cocaine in plain sight. The sparse number of people in the place was a bit strange, but Allen attributed it to the low-traffic day.
Allen advanced while his clown crown appeared in the form of a cape and white armor pieces.
He gave Annie a light, reassuring pat on the back. She looked at him with regretful eyes, and Allen chuckled at her predicament.
"..." Annie pursed her lips and became annoyed.
Allen patted her head, which made her nervous again, but for a different reason.
"Don't get upset, Annie, and remember I told you I'm here to support you," Allen reassured Annie, then glanced toward the closed office. "Did they really call the police?" Allen asked skeptically and with a hint of mockery.
"LEAVE!"
Seeing that the traffickers had no intention of negotiating, Allen smiled and walked over to one of the large boxes filled with bricks of white powder.
...
"Damn it, boss, haven't the reinforcements arrived yet?!" the nervous female mercenary said.
"Damn it, we're in Queens! There aren't many of our people around here," the boss, a large bald man with several tattoos, cursed as he threw his phone to the ground. "We're screwed... they're supers!"
They were not just ordinary criminals but mercenaries. Normally, they did not operate within the nation, but there were exceptions. This time, they had to escort a large shipment of weapons but ended up trapped here, facing the risk of death due to bad luck.
One mercenary, wearing a cap, slammed the floor in frustration. "How did they find us? This place has been operating for five years without incidents! Damn it, the camouflage is perfect, and there's hardly any staff to attract attention!"
"Boss, what if we surrender…" suggested the woman, holding a gun but believing it would be useless. Any weapon would be ineffective against supers, maybe high-caliber ones could do something, but they were trapped here. "Fifteen years in prison doesn't sound so bad compared to being torn apart by that crazy Asian woman."
The boss took a deep breath. "Tsk, Vought's monsters are a pain."
To understand the situation, one must consider a few points.
It used to be common for big mafias and gangs to confront the police when there was no other option. In fact, there were neighborhoods where crime was so rampant that even the police thought twice before intervening.
However, since the emergence of the supers, real criminals changed their habits. There was no other choice, as conventional weapons did nothing against most superheroes, and high-caliber weapons were hard to come by.
The mafias and gangs in the big cities with supers stopped making flashy, obvious moves like committing crimes in huge groups and chose to use more discreet methods.
This worked, as they rarely had problems with "superheroes". Of course, this was largely because Vought's supers rarely made an effort to capture real criminals.
Unexpectedly, this shift in criminal behavior also benefited Vought International because it reduced the number of crimes, of course, Vought claimed credit for it.
However, this was merely a facade. The reality was that humans have a great capacity to adapt, and when flying, bulletproof men and women appeared, "they" hid better underground, leaving no gangs in broad daylight and mafias at night.
Allen grabbed one package of cocaine and threw it at the office door, startling the mercenaries.
"I don't think they'll call the police, Annie," Allen said, looking at the girl who stared at him, dazed. Annie assessed the situation and realized that all these drugs were illegal; there was no way out for them.
Allen smiled seeing that Annie regained her confidence, but his smile quickly faded as he frowned. His spider sense was useful for detecting danger, not criminal acts. There was no way his spider-sense would react to this; there had to be something more going on here.
'System, can you check if there's anything unusual in this warehouse?'
[Yes, one moment… there is a hidden basement in this place.]
'I see…'
Allen gave a slight stomp, which made the floor tremble slightly. Indeed, there was an echo underneath, indicating it was hollow.
Allen turned to inform the girls.
"Annie?!"
Allen's mouth fell open in disbelief when he saw Annie using her powers at full strength.
...
Moments before, Annie had felt anxious. Kimiko's actions might have been excessive, but they were highly effective and dealt with several well-armed men. In contrast, Annie had done nothing, and seeing Allen deep in thought next to the traffickers' cocaine packages made her feel even more anxious.
'Could Allen think I'm useless?! Am I not cut out for this?! Am I worthless?!'
These questions flooded Annie's mind, and she felt pressured. She knew she had to show results now!
At that moment, she was no longer Annie, she was wearing the Starlight costume. She had to prove her worth.
Annie had hoped the traffickers would surrender, but when they didn't, she felt it was right to attack since there were no civilians around. After all, they were traffickers, and hurting them a bit shouldn't be too serious, right?
Annie's golden hair lifted slightly as her eyes and hands began to glow.
In her mind, she visualized her next actions: she would break down the door with her powers, then enter and take down the mercenaries, and finally be praised by Allen.
It was an advantage that she didn't have to worry about the gunfire.
"Annie?!"
Almost as if part of a comedy, three things happened simultaneously. Annie prepared to strike. Allen called her name, which distracted her. To make matters worse, the crime boss decided to surrender and left the office at the last moment.
"No!" Starlight shouted.
"We surrender!"
Starlight had no time to halt her attack and struck the bald man, who didn't get to finish his sentence. Annie's powers were no joke; the crime boss was thrown against the opposite wall and then fell to the floor. No one knew if he was alive or dead.
The remaining three criminals peeked out from the door and threw down their weapons.
"Don't kill us!"
"We surrender!"
"I just wanted to make some money!"
Starlight remained silent with a blank stare. Kimiko approached and patted her on the shoulder, she seemed to console her but Kimiko's eyes showed amusement.
Annie reacted and became annoyed. "Don't mock me!"
Felicia – "I know it's rude since someone probably died, but lol."
MJ – Can she be more adorable? hahaha
Gwen – I hope this doesn't affect her. *Cough* ... forget it, she doesn't seem too shaken by killing someone.
Barbara – This world is much harsher than ours, and deaths are common.
[I.M.] "The definition of 'common' differs from world to world. In this one, it's indeed very common to see people die in graphic detail, especially in comic book history. It doesn't mean they're used to it, but it's easier to accept. Of course, this time it's not necessary." *He smiled.* "Not that it matters."
Allen approached Annie, who immediately lowered her head. Allen smiled and gently patted her hair.
"Don't feel bad. He's not dead…"
Annie looked up in disbelief. "Really?!"
"Yeah"
Annie hugged Allen in joy but quickly felt it was too much and stepped back, blushing. "I… I'm sorry."
Allen glanced at the trio, both hands raised. "Lie down on the ground, and Kimiko, if they move, do what you think is necessary."
The three criminals looked terrified while Kimiko's cold gaze locked onto them.
"Annie, follow me..."
...
Allen started walking toward the supply room, and throughout the way, Annie watched him, puzzled by his actions.
Allen removed a false floor to reveal stairs underneath. This surprised everyone, but Allen grew increasingly irritated as he descended. Below was a very dark space that seemed almost as large as the warehouse.
Allen used his powers to create a small light. There were several boxes of weapons, some exclusively for military use. It seemed the traffickers were involved in this business as well.
Allen moved ahead and saw a small room. Without hesitation, he grabbed the lock securing it, and crushed it with his hand.
Kara – Those bastards!!
Barbara – I knew it!!
Donna – It would have been better if the master had let Kimiko kill them all!!
Inside were several women in a state of severe malnutrition. The women looked at Allen and Annie with fear.
Without saying a word, Allen quickly entered and approached two women lying on the floor, who appeared to be in the worst condition.
Without hesitation, he used several fragments of his powers to help them recover.
"Don't worry… we're here to get you out," Annie tried to smile at them, but she could barely contain the anger seeing this.
The women looked at Annie and then at Allen with distrust. However, when one of the girls began to glow and then woke up, everyone was astonished.
"Katie, are you okay?!"
One of the women embraced the one who had just awakened. After that, the women understood that they would not harm them.
The Chat was ablaze with anger, and Allen was no exception. Annie, in turn, was deeply saddened by the sight.
Allen and Annie guided the women out of the place.
...
The three criminals watched in horror as Allen discovered the basement and rescued all the kidnapped women.
'BASTARDS!'
Seeing the state of all the women reminded Kimiko of herself, and in a fit of rage, she tore the head off one of the criminals. Before she could kill the others, Allen stopped her. He needed to understand what this was about.
The story was too harsh and simple: these women were tourists from the Big Apple who had been kidnapped.
The police often put less effort into searching for tourists.
The traffickers had been planning to take them out of the country and send them to Eastern Europe to work in brothels.
"..." Allen listened to the story in silence.
Yes, this was human trafficking in every sense of the word. However, for various reasons, this couldn't be executed. Unsure of what to do, they had left the women in that basement for nearly two weeks with barely any food or water.
Rick – "It's easier to get rid of bones than live people…"
Rick's words were cruel but true; it was riskier to extract a group of women from New York than to dispose of bones.
Still, it didn't make it any better…
At that moment, several vehicles arrived, the reinforcements their boss had called for.
...
Outside, there was a group of vans, jeeps, Hummers, and black cars, all bearing the symbol of a golden sparrow with the legend "Security G. S."
As previously mentioned, these people sought discretion and operated in plain sight. These mercenaries and traffickers moved through the city disguised as a private security group.
Are conventional weapons useless? Conventional and low-caliber weapons are, but only Homelander has proven immune to them. Most supers can be harmed by high-caliber weapons.
From the vehicles emerged many armed men with automatic rifles loaded with armor-piercing ammunition. There were some sniper rifles, two light machine guns, and an RPG. It was enough weaponry for a small platoon.
As if that weren't enough, one of the vehicles revealed a different kind of person. This one had a frown as he looked at the warehouse. "Tsk, if Vought finds out I'm working with traffickers, I'll lose support again… Let's wrap this up quickly!"
...
Inside, Allen could see a glimmer of hope in the mercenaries facing him.
"Don't worry… I'll crush that hope…" Allen said calmly while turning and walking toward the entrance. The mercenaries felt a chill as they met his gaze and the hope they had vanished.
Annie extended her hand toward Allen, but this time Kimiko was the one to stop her.
Kimiko gestured with her hand, 'Don't bother him. He's angry.'
Of course, Annie didn't understand what was said but could tell the situation… Allen was very angry.
The women also heard the rumble of several vehicles entering the loading area, causing trauma since it was the same sound they heard before being taken from nightclubs after being drugged.
Allen walked past them snapping the group of women out of their panic.
"Maybe a stranger doesn't inspire much confidence…" Allen said in a kind voice but not looking at the women, "But I promise you, no one will harm you from now on…"
Allen exited the warehouse, leaving a group of dazed women watching his cape fluttering in the wind.
...
Superman – "Don't worry, it's okay to be angry... If there is a moment that justifies it, it is this one…"
===
A/N: The next chapter will surprise you 🗿
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