[Homelander's POV]
The night city is noisy and restless, and the crowd moves in a dense flow like an ant colony.
What beauty can there be in the city when you can't take a step without bumping into another tourist?
The only thing that helps you ignore the trash and the unpleasant smell of cheap fast food that are present everywhere is the rain falling in large drops on the ground.
It was pleasant to breathe in that specific smell of earth that never gets old.
"Do you like the rain?"
"I do, but I prefer to be under an umbrella."
In response, there was laughter but a bit forced.
I turned around to see Starlight who was fully geared up.
She also looked better in her suit, and it didn't look as cheap as it had been before.
Now, she looked not only innocent but also striking.
Recently, the demand for her advertisements and products has increased, and not least because of this.
She approached the window and stood beside me to look at the next building I had been observing.
"So, the drug dealers are holed up there?"
She looked down into the basement, where a big muscular man in a leather jacket stood at the entrance.
He had a gun tucked into his waistband.
"These guys are bold. They've only recently appeared in the city. They might mistakenly think they can hide in a city controlled by the Seven."
"And this apartment, from which they were being watched?"
She surveyed the dark room in this tiny studio apartment.
"No, we weren't watching them from here."
"So, this place has nothing to do with monitoring the criminals?"
"That's right. I rented this place to make things more convenient for us."
I shrugged at her surprised look.
"Checked the weather forecast."
"It seems the choice was rather forced."
Starlight's face twisted in restrained disgust as she glanced at the bed.
A couple of minutes ago, she saw a few giant cockroaches there and thoroughly roasted them with her bursts of light.
Since then, she had avoided the furniture. I didn't mention that nearly fifty of them lived there to avoid irritating her further, especially after the bloodstains on the floor.
"On point."
"Alright, let's get back to the task."
She even jumped a little with anticipation.
"How many are there?"
"Thirty people, quite a crowd."
"That'll do. I'm in the mood to blow off some steam."
Starlight's eyes glowed with dim light, and a knowing smile appeared on her lips.
She was clearly not in the best of moods, but she tried not to show it and did a pretty good job at it.
"I won't get in the way and will stay on the sidelines. I have nothing to counter such an attack."
"Thanks."
She smiled at my simple joke.
"I'll make the most of it."
A minute later, we were descending the stairs, then walked outside and headed straight towards the basement.
To be honest, neither of us felt like putting on a show.
The burly man was quite surprised when the brightly costumed heroes confidently approached him on that gloomy evening.
"Good evening, young man. Do you like to talk about the Great Old One, the Lord of Worlds, slumbering at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean—Cthulhu?"
The man reacted as expected but no less amusing because such an utterly bewildered face couldn't be faked.
"Stop it!"
Starlight's elbow jabbed into my side, but she herself was barely holding back a grin.
"Well, I can't just mention Nyarlathotep? He's only a messenger!"
I protested, rubbing my "injured" spot.
"What?"
The extremely sparse response disappointed us both, but we didn't lose our enthusiasm.
"No, Homelander."
Starlight sighed, shaking her head.
"We're not going to get any understanding from him. Let's just get down to business."
"Alright. My partner, Starlight, is quite annoyed with recent events and wishes to blow off some steam. I decided your den would be perfect for that purpose."
There was silence in return.
"I think he's still stunned from earlier questions."
Starlight suggested when she saw the man's complete confusion and decided to change the topic.
"Is there supposed to be a recording?"
"There won't be any. I made sure of that. But please, no killing."
After my words, Starlight practically beamed.
"Although, in reality, they are completely under your control."
"Heard that, big guy? Respect my authority!"
Starlight expertly delivered a knee strike to the gut by shouting the last sentence like a battle cry.
Then she hit him in the jaw with her elbow and knocked him out for a long time.
"Not bad."
I nodded, evaluating the unconscious body that had fallen to the concrete floor.
Fortunately, there was a mat here.
"Thanks."
We entered like civilized people, simply opening the unlocked door.
We even greeted the first person we encountered before Starlight put him to sleep.
The same happened to the next three until we were eventually discovered.
That's when things got more interesting.
Starlight continued to knock everyone in her path into the next as if toppling bowling pins.
There were bright golden flashes and sparks all over the basement as criminals flew through the air.
I leaned against the wall and propped myself up with my shoulder.
It was better to be a spectator to this performance than an unnecessary participant.
There was something mesmerizing about watching her beat the crap out of the bad guys.
The same can't be said for a man when he fights other men. It's probably the flexibility that's inherent to the female gender.
Unfortunately, it all ended quickly.
Not because she managed to beat everyone up but because the remaining few simply surrendered and showed respect for her authority.
The police arrived, arrested everyone, and we managed to slip away before the reporters showed up.
The journalists would have to gather information from witnesses and the tight-lipped police officers.
On the other hand, we headed to the park to enjoy some junk food.
"God, this is delicious!"
Starlight loudly expressed her delight, not waiting to finish the half-eaten shawarma.
"Don't choke."
I replied after a few seconds.
"Alright, daddy."
She smiled at me and nudged me with her elbow again.
"And what's it for now?"
"What are you up to?"
She asked suspiciously, keeping her eyes on me.
"What am I up to?"
"You can't answer a question with a question!"
"Who said that?"
"It's basic etiquette rules."
She confidently replied.
"And how do you avoid questions you don't want to answer?"
"Creativeness."
"So, it's okay for Jews, but not for me?"
"Are you Jewish?"
"What, now I can't even dream?"
"You did it again."
She smiled, and we sat in silence for a moment.
"So, what's the deal?"
"I wanted to check if you're okay."
"I'm definitely fine."
She pursed her lips, showing her disappointment.
"What happened... it's a lot of stress. You shouldn't keep it all to yourself."
"Have you become my psychologist?"
Starlight replied with a frown.
"Sort of. I hope you don't mind."
I smiled at her, choosing to ignore her long, heavy sigh.
"Don't worry, I'm not expensive."
I added.
"How can you be so carefree?"
"It's easiest for me. I learned that when I was barely twenty."
"And you didn't tell me!"
"A-ha! There was a hint after all."
The smile stayed on my lips.
"That doesn't count!"
"And this doesn't count? Let me guess—etiquette?"
"Only women have that privilege!"
"No, I'm not backing down this time."
"Stubborn."
Annie snorted, sighing heavily again.
The silence extended for much longer this time, which was still better than meaningless conversations about trivial topics.
Additionally, it was a good time to eat the shawarma that had cooled down slightly.
Fortunately, I liked it that way.
I didn't have to waste my heat vision to warm up the food.
Then I finished the unhealthy quickly, except for the moment I enjoyed the taste.
"I had a fight with my mom. Because of... all this."
"Did she admit it?"
"On the very first day."
She reached into her bag and pulled out the most ordinary pipe smoking in a classic style.
She looked at it as if it meant much more to her than just a smoking tool.
"It seems like this object has its own story."
I stated calmly.
"Will you share it with me?"
"My father loved smoking from this pipe."
Annie said thoughtfully, not taking her eyes off the object.
"I loved watching him do it. He enjoyed it so much after a long day at work. And then he would clean it carefully, letting it rest. I had no idea what it meant back then."
She paused her story to gather her thoughts. It was indeed hard for her to discuss this especially with a stranger.
I didn't rush her, silently waiting for her to continue.
"Dad loved me, but he left. I even stole his pipe and hid it, hoping he'd come back for it and never leave again. Now I understand why he left."
She continued with conviction.
"He was ashamed of what he had turned me into, and he just couldn't live with that realization next to me."
"My... creator hates me."
I decided to speak up since it was a day of revelations.
"What?"
Annie looked at me in shock.
"Dr. Vogelbaum, he created me from a test tube. Without his involvement, I wouldn't have come into existence."
"But why does he hate you? Why did he torment you?"
She recalled a recent conversation about the same person.
"That's exactly why he hates me. Because I remind him of his failure."
"What does that mean?"
Annie asked, puzzled, looking at me sympathetically.
"I grew up cruel and cynical, even though you don't see that publicly."
"I don't think so."
She protested, looking me seriously in the eyes.
"It's not someone like Vogelbaum to decide whether you're cruel or not. He became a monster in human form by subjecting you to such torture."
"You're probably right about all of that, but there is a grain of truth in his judgment."
"And so? It doesn't change anything, and it won't change the opinion of me or any other member of The Seven."
"You sure know how to give encouraging speeches."
I noted, eliciting a smile from her.
"I was taught that from a young age. The top priorities were practicing words and singing, then dancing. You need to be able to dance well to win at superhero kids' competitions."
Annie finished with a sour look, putting the smoking pipe back into her bag.
"I'm sure you dance well. And you've definitely earned the awards you received for it. Did you receive awards?"
"Of course I did. What kind of question is that?"
She looked at me angrily, and the streetlights flickered momentarily.
"Just checking. In any case, the most important thing is that you're okay."
"I think I need to talk to my mom... face to face."
"Will you handle it on your own?"
"I'm not a little girl. I'll manage somehow!"
She declared expressively, adding more quietly.
"I just need to cool down."
"Is that all?"
"I suppose so."
She shrugged, looking at me expectantly.
"So you don't want to create a scandal or cry on live TV about your hard life?"
"It seems not."
She said with a sly smile.
"Should I? If needed, I can play the offended innocent."
"Well, if you don't want to, then there's no need."
I shrugged, not taking the bait.
"Alright."
Annie nodded and pursed her lips, looking at the remaining piece of shawarma.
"Maybe we should get some more?"
"Great idea."
I agreed thoughtfully, considering finding a place where we could sit quietly.
I would like some tea with milk and three spoons of sugar.
An ideal place to relax and chat with a charming girl.
...
patreon.com/Abyssuit
You can find up to 15 advance chapters on my patreon.