*Annie's POV*
I could only see his back once more...
The external light streaming through the door illuminated his path as Allen walked out of the warehouse. It might have been an illusion, but to me, it was as dazzling as the first time I saw him.
"..."
At that moment, I realized that I would be chasing that back for the rest of my life, but I don't regret it. If anyone truly deserves admiration, it's him.
...
Reflecting on the past... not too far back, just after discovering the whole truth and condemning myself to live as a traitor in society. Somewhere in my mind, I thought maybe superheroes weren't necessary. I thought this because if supers are a farce, then why hasn't society collapsed? The answer came to me in the form of Kimiko... villains are artificial, so in that case, superheroes are also unnecessary.
However, when we arrived at that warehouse full of drugs, weapons, and criminals, I thought maybe, for once, I could use my powers as a real hero. It might not seem like much, but some criminals behind bars are a good thing. Maybe I will be convinced that I am wrong and supers can be useful.
It didn't seem like a bad idea... plus, I had Allen by my side, giving me advice, and Kimiko, who pushed me to be better.
But I underestimated reality... once again. I overestimated myself... again.
To start, my control over my powers isn't just bad; it's a joke. Surprisingly, they let me be a part of the Seven. I'm not exaggerating, A-Train can at least run without issues, and Homelander knows how to use his powers, despite being a complete jerk. But compared to them, I am barely competent; it takes me a long time to use my abilities, and if I weren't bulletproof, I'd be a dead girl. Another flaw is my difficulty regulating the power of my skills... I need to improve a lot in that regard.
Doing good? Seriously? I'm more of a danger than a benefit. It just reminds me once again that I was chosen for being pretty and pleasant to the public.
Even so, I can assure you that it wasn't a joke or an act... I truly believed everything I said on screen.
*Sigh*
...
I hope I didn't kill the trafficker. It's not that the death of someone like him keeps me up at night, especially after seeing what was done to those women, but I prefer to have as few deaths on my hands as possible.
Yes...
When we found those women, I felt so many mixed emotions that I nearly broke down. The anger and sadness were overwhelming.
At that moment, I wanted to kneel and cry. It was thanks to Allen being there that I was able to stay on my feet, but that's not right. The people in front of me needed someone they could trust.
What good are powers if you're so bad at making decisions in critical moments and so weak at facing harsh reality...
I should have worked on improving myself as a person even before improving as a superhero.
I just hope Allen has patience with me.
...
Allen left the warehouse. Knowing what was coming, it was up to me to ensure the women didn't get scared.
I looked at a girl who seemed to be around twenty-five years old, she was short and slender with black hair and light eyes, probably European, but I couldn't be sure. She was being supported by a slightly taller woman with blonde hair. Both looked haggard, with dark circles and chapped lips.
"You're Katie, right?"
"Eh! Ah... yes, thank you for saving me…" Katie's voice sounded hoarse, an indication of dehydration.
"Don't worry… you must be thirsty. Give me a moment."
I walked to one of the administration offices. These places usually have bottled water. I found two bottles on a table and returned.
"Drink some water, Katie," I said to Katie as I offered the other bottle to whoever seemed thirstier.
*Explosions*
*Gunshots*
*Cries of agony*
Outside it quickly became pandemonium.
Allen...
"Ahhh!"
"What's up?"
"Are we going to die?!"
The girls screamed, and I didn't know what to do; they were in a state of hysteria due to their trauma. However, I couldn't blame them, as I know what it feels like to fall into the worst kind of despair.
I must do something!!
"It's okay! I might not inspire much confidence! I might not seem trustworthy, but the person out there is different!!"
Some women turned to look at me, so I proceeded to share my personal experience, from when I was a naive young girl dreaming of being a superhero to when I crashed into reality and was saved by "him."
I couldn't help but smile as I spoke of that memory...
"I have severe mental issues... that memory that was supposed to be traumatic and unpleasant... now it feels like an unforgettable and important memory…" I looked at all the women with a smile, trying to imitate him. "Don't worry, no matter what happens… if that person promised you that no one would harm you, you can be sure that not even Homelander will touch you!."
After finishing, I noticed that the women calmed down, though the screams outside still made them nervous. Kimiko stared at me, making me feel embarrassed. It was a relief that Kimiko didn't speak, or I would die if she told Allen what I said.
A man burst through a wall, and I prepared to fight; I couldn't be scared and hide behind him forever. The man crashed into a shelf and ended up on the floor moaning weakly. If I'm honest I didn't think a normal person would survive that.
Curious, I exchanged glances with Kimiko. We both nodded intending to go out and see.
When we stepped out, I saw destruction and heard screams of suffering. It was hard to believe the scene. He had all the strength, speed, stamina, endurance, and skill Allen had it all to put up an incredible fight... fight? no, to call this a fight would be ridiculous, Allen finished them all off unilaterally.
But it didn't end there... Jack The Jupiter appeared.
I remembered his farewell, which was broadcasted on television, a very emotional goodbye as he hugged Translucent. But underneath, he must have been hiding his anger. In the end, it's all about appearances.
But I can't feel sorry for someone who uses other people's lives as objects and sells them to the highest bidder. I tried to debate, but I couldn't deny the reality; I never thought I was stupid, and now that I see the truth, I realize it wasn't too hard to see Vought's true face.
It led me to an unpleasant thought... were my parents deceived into making me a super, or did they choose to do so?
I don't want to know...
...
Allen's battle against Jack was incredible; it certainly made me realize how weak I am right now. And also how strong Allen is. Of course, I knew he was powerful; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to face half of the Seven, including Homelander... But beyond his power, what dazzled me was his noble heart, strong in enduring tough decisions, firm in his convictions, and flexible in his thinking. Allen doesn't try to impose his ideals on others. He tried to understand Jack's way of thinking to the end.
He almost doesn't look like he's from this world...
Maybe it was my imagination but I felt that in the end, Allen's words did get through to Jack.
As Allen walked back to me, I was mesmerized by his figure until Kimiko hit my arm to make me react.
That was embarrassing!
I have to work harder next time. I won't be useless!
*End of POV*
The police arrived at the scene, and Allen, Annie, and Kimiko were surrounded while being aimed at with weapons. Behind them were the women, but none of them were scared. After meeting the young man, none doubted they had no reason to fear anything.
"This was going to happen," Allen shrugged. Kimiko growled but didn't attack anyone, while Annie had a serious expression and was ready to fight. This surprised Allen, as he hadn't expected the blonde girl to be willing to face the police.
"Lower your weapons," said an officer as he approached Allen without fear.
This alerted the police, but they complied since Sergeant Martinez was their superior.
"..." Martinez stared at Allen in silence, and Allen returned the gaze. "Just leave quickly; I won't be able to hold off the press for much longer."
Annie and Kimiko were surprised, but Allen maintained his calm demeanor as if he had anticipated this outcome.
"Thank you, Sergeant Martinez," Allen smiled. "Maybe I'll make you my James Gordon..."
Barbara – Pff...
Batman – ...
"Who?... never mind, and you don't have to thank me." The man sighed and then smiled with a slight mockery. "Thanks to you, I'll be promoted for dismantling such a large criminal group."
Allen raised an eyebrow with cunning, "Then I guess you owe me one."
"Don't get your hopes up; I don't plan on helping a villain…"
"Well, I tried" Allen shrugged and turned to find the girls. Kimiko, as usual, was close by, silent and alert. Annie, on the other hand, was with the rescued women, who were being attended to by paramedics.
Annie handed a note to one of the women and then said her goodbyes.
It was inevitable that this would become known, so Allen avoided appearing too close to the rescued women. It could cause them trouble later if word got out that they were associated with a villain.
...
With this, the practice was concluded, and Allen, Annie, and Kimiko left quickly.
Once in the car and leaving everything that had happened behind, the three of them calmed down.
"What did you give her?" Allen asked casually.
"It was my number in case they needed help," Annie replied lightly. But Allen noticed that she seemed a bit down.
"Getting into these things won't always be pretty and leave you with a good feeling... humans are capable of many cruel things."
Annie clenched her fists. "It's so sad to imagine what might have happened..."
"Certainly, fighting villains would be mentally easier?"
"...If they were real... maybe"
"But most criminals don't have superpowers, and unfortunately, they are the ones who do the most horrible things. Being aware of that isn't pleasant, but Annie, those girls have families, and it's thanks to us that they'll see them again."
Kimiko lowered her head slightly.
Annie smiled bitterly. "... I feel like I didn't do much this time."
"Annie," Allen said with a serious look, taking her hand. "I was planning to go somewhere else today. The only reason we were here was that you wanted to be a superhero. It may seem insignificant, but it's thanks to your wishes that there was a happy ending for fifteen families."
"Is this... true?"
Allen patted her head. "Yeah"
Annie's expression improved, and her eyes regained their sparkle as she smiled brightly at Allen. "Thank you ♡ ~" Annie's handheld Allen's in a more intimate way.
'Tsk, stop flirting... it's disgusting...' Kimiko put Allen in a neck wrestling hold from her back seat.
This behavior was out of character for Kimiko, which made Allen both happy and concerned. Happy because it's positive that she's more open and concerned because she's still wearing her vibranium claws.
"Kimiko, it's dangerous, I'm driving right now!"
'I... don't... care...'
The girl ignored him.
Annie laughed, while half of the chat looked at the scene with amusement and the other half with disdain at seeing him flirt with another beautiful woman. Of course, Allen denied trying to seduce anyone.
Diana – I know he's not doing it to seduce her... but it always ends up this way.
Hippolyta – My condolences, dear...
Antiope – My dear niece, it's not too late to let him go... is it?
Hestia – *She raised an eyebrow* It's a good thing only Diana fell into Allen's clutches; what would become of Themyscira otherwise, right?
Hippolyta – ...
Antiope – ...
...
Allen returned to his apartment with the girls, they ate together and prepared for Ezekiel's event.
The Vought event with the super, Ezekiel, a parody of Reed Richards who has the power to stretch, began.
Allen arrived early, accompanied by Annie and Kimiko, This time they were wearing discreet clothing. Allen had a premonition that things might not go well.
The venue was quite open, resembling one of those makeshift summer concerts.
Allen parked and led the girls inside. It resembled a carnival with food vendors, various products, and even some fair games like the air rifle target shooting where you could win stuffed animals if you succeeded. The most eye-catching were a grizzly bear and a large orange cat, both human-sized.
MJ – *Cough* I don't really care, but I recently put up a new shelf, and it's empty.
Gwen – *Cough* Now that I think about it, my birthday is coming up.
Felicia – Allen, I want the bear~
Ruby – What kind of request is that?!
Felicia – Hm? Well, it's my boyfriend; it's okay to be spoiled sometimes, and unlike others, I'm not embarrassed by something like this.
Ruby – Tsk! You finally revealed it...
McDragon – What?! Seriously?!
PercyJ – It's obvious since she's a moderator...
McDragon – But there's more than one? In fact, there are seven, no, eight!!
Of course, if Allen were to give any power in his streams, it would go to his girlfriends. Currently, the moderators are Gwen, MJ, Felicia, Natasha, Diana, EmmaW, Megan, and an absent mod. They all have confirmed relationships with Allen. The next on the list would be MariaH, EmmaF, Kara, Raven, Harley, Tearju, Ivy, and Barbara, either because they've had intimate interactions with Allen or have openly declared their feelings and intentions for a real relationship. As for other girls, although there may be feelings involved, their relationship with Allen is minimal, so they remain pending until further notice. Needless to say, the dolls don't count or there would have to be more seats.
Allen looked around the place and then checked the time on his phone, there was still time for Ezequiel to appear.
Allen smiled and walked towards the air rifle target shooting game, followed by Annie and Kimiko.
...
(Ten minutes later)
"Please, sir, I have a wife and kids!!"
A miserable man crawled at Allen's feet after Allen won the top prizes seven times in a row.
"But I still need more..."
"Sir, your girlfriends already have their hands full."
Annie blushed as she held three stuffed animals, one in each hand and one on her head. "I don't..." Annie wanted to respond to the man's words but decided against it. Kimiko had two large stuffed animals in each hand. She looked at Annie with narrowed eyes, seeing that she didn't deny the man's words.
Allen sighed. "Well... I actually need about thirty more or so..."
"Huh?!" Annie exclaimed, not knowing what to say.
Kimiko's gaze sharpened. Upon reflection, neither of the girls knew much about Allen. Where does he come from? Does he have a family? Does he have a girlfriend or a wife? Nothing.
"No!" The man fell to the ground, ruined.
Allen snorted. He wasn't a complete bastard, but the man was being very hypocritical. These games always have tricks, and this one was no exception. The darts the rifle fires are too weak to knock down the large stuffed animals, which is why Allen uses a bit of his power to increase the force.
Rick – The scammer got scammed, hahaha.
JackSparrow – I've always believed a man falls for his sins or the cleavage of a woman... or for alcohol. The point is, that you reap what you sow. If the owner hadn't fixed the game, Allen wouldn't have used his powers.
Allen had every right, but it was drawing a lot of attention, so he stopped and told the man, "All right, let's make a deal. I'll buy all the stuffed animals here... except for the ones with the faces of Ezekiel, Homelander, and the Seven... Meave is fine."
Allen pulled out a wad of cash...
...
"Have a good day, Mr. Walker!~" said the owner with an unpleasant and sticky attitude.
"I'll send someone for everything..." Allen responded, not paying him any more attention. Allen hadn't decided how much to tell Annie and Kimiko, so for now, he would keep things like the inventory a secret. Rebecca, 2B, Bocchi, and Nokotan were in charge of collecting the stuffed animals and adding them to the inventory, and they were free to choose one for themselves, although they refused and insisted that Allen give them personally.
Annie and Kimiko also left their stuffed animals to be picked up later, as there was a possibility that this place could turn into a war zone.
...
Allen moved closer to the center of the event and could hear Ezekiel. It seemed he was running late and had already started. The girls beside him appeared calmer after what had happened earlier.
Kimiko was fine, simply following him in silence, but Annie was acting extremely suspicious. She was wearing a scarf, sunglasses, and a brown trench coat, and she kept hiding behind corners to observe from a distance.
MJ – I thought people only did that in cartoons.
Felicia – You should be careful this time there are armed guards.
Starfire – Why is everyone so negative? I think Annie is acting effectively~
Raven – The only reference Starfire has for talking is television... sorry.
Starfire – Hey!!
Allen took Annie's hand, and she was surprised by this. "Huh?"
"Annie, the trick to not looking suspicious is to not act suspicious."
Annie thought for a moment and felt embarrassed. She let herself be guided, as she had many times before. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't worry," Allen smiled contemptuously as he watched Ezekiel deliver his speech. "Just follow me and don't get flustered. If the information is correct, Homelander will arrive later, so don't panic, I'm here."
Annie and Kimiko tensed upon hearing this. Allen had a serious look. For him, Homelander's presence wasn't a concern per se; however, having a fight with him in this place wasn't a good idea, and many people could be involved.
Of course, Allen could protect them as he did in the bank, but it's different from stopping the attacks of three unknown "villains" compared to dealing with Homelander, especially if he goes crazy like last time. Additionally, it was unknown if Black Noir would be nearby as well.
Black Noir was the wild card in the game. Being such an unstable character mentally, his actions were hard to predict. Of course, if he followed Stan Edgar's orders, he would be watching Homelander from the shadows.
Stan Edgar would not let Homelander die unless it was literally the last option, so if Allen were close to killing Homelander, Black Noir would definitely intervene.
Allen increased his power during the cruise incident; however, facing two Homelander simultaneously... It's difficult
...
Hughie, MM, and Butcher entered the venue and approached the stage.
"Butcher, I don't see Allen anywhere," Hughie said nervously.
"He must be wandering around..." Butcher seemed somewhat distracted. He saw people comparing images of Ezekiel everywhere, chains with crosses, posters, and other decorations. Somehow, Vought had mixed the supers with Christianity.
"I hate this place," Butcher said, adjusting his sunglasses.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of spirituality," MM said.
After a short discussion between MM and Butcher, the three men decided to go to the stage as Ezekiel's speech was halfway through.
MM noticed the armed guards and the cameras monitoring them.
"It seems God isn't watching from the sky," MM said.
"Butcher, how are we going to get in?" Hughie frowned as he held a brochure indicating that it cost fifteen thousand dollars to meet Ezekiel in person.
"We could ask the kid to capture Ezekiel, but that would alert Vought. According to the information I have, 'Samaritan Embrace' hides something very big. Besides, Vought puts a lot of effort into Ezekiel's events, to the point where Homelander shows up at them."
Hughie swallowed hard.
Butcher remained silent for a moment. "Depending on the information we get from Ezekiel, we could deal a significant blow to Vought, perhaps on the same level as the plane incident."
...
Allen, Annie, and Kimiko stood in a different spot away from the crowd, also listening to Ezekiel's speech.
Kimiko couldn't have been more bored and even yawned, but Annie had a gloomy expression as she watched.
"Why could Jesus walk on water and turn water into wine?"
"Because you have faith!"
"Those chosen by God to have His power did so because they have faith."
Ezekiel's words sounded true but also false, making the chat doubt how people could believe him.
Ezekiel stretched out his arms, and they elongated. The crowd began to applaud.
...
"It's a very good manipulation technique..." Annie mocked herself. "I was very involved with the religious side of Vought from a young age, but now I know we were created by human hands... makes me sick to see how they deceive so many people."
"Well, you'll have a chance to say whatever you want to him, Annie," Allen smiled. He also had a poor opinion of Ezekiel.
Allen narrowed his eyes when he sensed someone approaching at high speed. Looking up at the sky, he felt a faint sense of danger, and the sound of a sonic boom filled the air as Homelander descended at speed and landed. The crowd went wild as he greeted them.
"Here he is..." Allen murmured with a look of disdain. It was only a possibility, but this place could truly turn into a bloodbath.
===
A/N: Good day to you all 🍷🗿.