[Homelander's POV]
I watched with interest as the new Ashley's face twisted with emotions.
It was an interesting sight, combined with her squeaky voice as she tried to scold me without crossing into serious insults.
Maeve would definitely agree with me if I asked her. She was watching just as attentively.
"Do you even understand what you've done?!"
Ashley screamed in panic, unable to contain her emotions.
"I'm going to get fired for this!"
"Really?"
Maeve asked in the most indifferent voice.
"Well, not you! I worked so hard for this position!"
Ashley blushed furiously.
"Pfff..."
I sighed, feeling tired of this conversation.
"Ashley, I apologize. I should have been more restrained."
She looked at me in surprise, not expecting those words.
But to be fair, this was entirely my fault.
"S-sorry for yelling at you."
Ashley sighed, quickly calming down.
"I'll talk to Madelyn myself and ask her not to punish you. Don't worry about it."
"Really?"
She looked at me with doubt, feeling like the scapegoat in this situation.
"Do I look like someone who can't be trusted?"
My playful squint made her smile, finally calming down completely.
"No, you don't."
"That's great. I was starting to suspect something was wrong."
I patted her lightly on the shoulder and moved on.
Maeve followed, as we still had to get to the movie set.
The most expensive scenes were filmed in the first few days, so my presence was mandatory.
The good news is that I won't be in front of the camera for long.
"That was noble."
Maeve decided to comment, walking beside me.
"Really? I thought I acted properly."
"Is there a difference?"
"To be noble, you need to at least consider the person you're helping as an equal. That means putting yourself in their place. In my case, I helped more for selfish reasons."
"And what selfish reasons did you have?"
Maeve smiled ironically, seeming to find it amusing.
"I don't think Madelyn can find a third Ashley. The name isn't as popular as Olivia, Sophia... or Alex."
"You're just too lazy to remember a new name?"
Maeve even stopped for a second to process that.
"It's not that I'm too lazy to remember. I just don't want to recall another myself. The name "Ashley" rolls off my tongue more easily than, say, 'Alice.'"
"I can agree with you on that."
Maeve said, pausing to think for a moment.
Stepping onto the studio roof, I took Maeve by the waist and flew.
The flight didn't last long, at least by the standards of ordinary people dealing with traffic jams.
I wonder how much time everything I manage to do would take if I couldn't fly.
I'm glad I wasn't stuck as someone like Deep who had trouble getting around the city.
That's why most of the crimes he prevented happened in the docks or on the water.
Seeing him at work in the city center was almost impossible.
We weren't behind schedule because we got there just in time for the shoot to start setting up.
With a sigh, I headed to the makeup artists who began redoing what had been used earlier at the studio.
It didn't take long, but then came the truly exhausting part.
It might look easy to make this kind of movie from the outside and fun to use superpowers on camera, blowing up a building or something.
After the tenth take, it's no longer fun but rather tiresome.
If you're not lucky enough to have a great director, the whole shooting process can be very annoying.
It took a lot of work to get details, close-ups, middle shots, long shots, and wide shots because the shooting schedule was planned down to the hour.
Those are just the six main shots, and there are four times as many!
Additionally, I had to shoot four different reactions for each scene to have options in the editing room.
Ultimately, the filming took much longer than I had anticipated.
"Cut! That's a wrap! Great job, everyone!"
Adam commanded, letting me relax.
"That was fantastic, Homelander! That look, that pose! You can really see the experience."
"Thank you, Adam."
I nodded, easily accepting the compliment from the director.
"Just wait till I tell my mom I filmed Homelander... she won't believe it!"
Adam laughed while pulling out his phone.
"I'm serious. Can we take a selfie so I can prove it to her?"
"I don't mind."
I smiled, taking a selfie with him.
"So, am I done for the day? You don't need me anymore?"
"No, you can rest. We'll manage with a stand-in for the remaining scenes. We'll shoot from the back."
I could finally finish what I started this morning now that I was free.
First, I needed to wash off all the makeup, which was really annoying, and then deal with the rest.
I might grab a bite at one of the restaurants along the way because I didn't want to have lunch with everyone else.
"Hey big guy, how's it going?"
Stormfront smiled, settling in on my left side.
"It could be better."
"How rude. I thought our conflict was in the past."
"True, the conflict is in the past."
I agreed with her.
"Then what's the problem? I did agree to help you catch him."
"Stormfront, if I always believed empty promises, I wouldn't have reached my current level of influence."
I replied firmly, turning to face her.
"You want to convince me that you're on my side? My advice to you: take action."
"I like that approach. I have something to show."
She nodded, then noticed the trailer.
"The exterior looks nice. Did you choose the color yourself?"
"Don't try to flatter me."
I scoffed while entering the trailer and leaving the door open behind me.
This was a sort of transportable home, just for filming.
Homelander himself didn't really use it, except for the status.
A trailer wasn't necessary for someone who could fly around the city in a few minutes.
However, it was there and looked like it was made of gold from the outside.
Stormfront had noticed that.
Inside, everything created the feeling that you were on a yacht.
There were also two fireplaces, five televisions, including one in each of the two bathrooms, and a shower.
This could all be mistaken for the inside of a five-star hotel room.
"I see you didn't cheap on comfort."
Stormfront smirked as she stepped inside.
"Leonardo DiCaprio recommended the designer. He has the same trailer."
"I love his movies."
She replied, looking around.
"So, what did you want to show me?"
I got straight to the point, not wanting to waste any time.
"Just a second."
She said as she looked through the bag she always carried.
"My costume doesn't have pockets. How about yours?"
In response, I silently pulled out a smartphone from a special pocket in my costume.
"Damn."
She scoffed and finally showed a photograph and placed it on the table.
"Here, take a look."
"And who is this?"
I asked, staring at a bearded man in the group photo.
Stormfront's finger was pointing directly at him, standing in the center.
"That's the leader of the terrorist group that managed to get their hands on Compound V."
She explained.
"He disappeared recently, and instead of his men, mutilated bodies were found at their base."
"So, the leader might still be alive?"
"There's a suspicion that he's being hidden in their small town. He could be hiding there for months until things settle down."
Stormfront continued, looking me in the eye with significant meaning.
"But we don't have that kind of time."
"And if you can see through walls, you could save us that precious time."
I voiced the unspoken thought.
"So, where did you say this town is?"
"I didn't say."
She smiled, casually leaning against the table.
"And what does that mean?"
I frowned, looming over her delicate figure.
"It means I'll be flying with you, big guy."
Seeing her victorious smile, I sighed in irritation, trying not to think about simply throttling the bitch.
That wouldn't help the situation.
"Fine, just don't fall behind."
"Don't worry about that,"
She replied, staring intently into my eyes.
I feel I might regret this decision.
...
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