Stan Edgar, the big boss of Vought, both CEO and partner, was sitting calmly in his fancy office at the top of the Vought Tower.
He was sipping a drink while managing Vought-related business when suddenly his phone rang.
"Who is this? And how can I help you?" Edgar asked after answering the phone, taking a sip of his drink.
"It's me, Stan. Vogelbaum. I have news… or good news, depending on how you want to interpret it," said Dr. Jonah Vogelbaum.
Vogelbaum was a Vought scientist directly responsible for creating Homelander and experimenting with Compound V.
"News? What news? I haven't heard anything happening recently," Edgar asked.
"Last night, I received word that a convoy was heading to Vought headquarters. The convoy carried a very interesting super, but it was intercepted by someone, and the super escaped," Vogelbaum said.
Edgar listened, pondered for a moment, and replied quickly:
"A super escaped? That's no news. It happens from time to time. Actually, it happens more often than I'd like. But that's not a problem you solve over the phone. I can send a team to capture him, or send another super to find him," said Stan Edgar, unconcerned, even bored.
Before Vogelbaum could explain the gravity of the situation, a blonde woman entered, interrupting them and drawing their attention.
"I wouldn't put it that way…" said Madelyn Stillwell as she approached Edgar, carrying a folder of documents.
Edgar and Vogelbaum were talking loudly, so she had heard everything as she entered.
"Stillwell? Who gave you permission to come in here?" Edgar asked.
"Well… no one. I asked, and they let me in," Stillwell said with a faint smile.
She was young, blonde, and very beautiful, accustomed to using her looks to manipulate people.
"May I? I have news to share," Stillwell asked, seeking to join the conversation.
"Go ahead," Edgar agreed.
Before she began explaining what happened, she greeted Vogelbaum.
"So, here's the thing: a super escaped yesterday while heading to one of our bases.and I don't need to explain the rest, right?"
Stillwell asked.
"Well, Vogelbaum just told me that, but what's the big deal? It's just another super," said Stan.
"No, it's not," Vogelbaum interrupted.
"
It's not just any super that escaped. It's a super who survived after receiving an experimental dose of Compound V made from Homelander's DNA," Stillwell interrupted Vogelbaum.
After finishing, she tossed the documents with the boy's information onto the table.
A flash of surprise crossed Edgar's face. He reached out, grabbed the documents Stillwell had thrown, and asked:
"Is he Homelander's son?" Edgar asked Vogelbaum as he looked at the papers.
"Well… technically no. Not a son. More like a clone than a son, I'd say," Vogelbaum replied.
Edgar pondered the situation, analyzing the boy's information.
What they knew about the boy: he was a street kid captured by Vought. It wasn't clear who his parents were; apparently, he had no records, no birth date, no identity—no one even knew his damn name.
Vought simply found him on the street and took him, knowing nobody would care or be willing to fight for him.
Then Edgar asked the most important question:
"Does he have Homelander's powers—his strength and durability?" Edgar asked Stillwell, since she seemed to know more than Vogelbaum.
"That should answer your question," Stillwell said, pulling a phone from her bag and showing a recording from last night.
"What's this?" Edgar asked, taking the phone for a closer look.
"I'd like to see it too, whatever it is," Vogelbaum said.
"Sorry, let me send a copy of the video to you," Stillwell said, taking the phone from Edgar and sending a copy to Vogelbaum.
After that, she handed the phone back to Edgar.
She showed them the footage of the fight between V-25 and the Vought men from last night.
"And from last night, just a few hours after he took the Compound V made from Homelander's DNA, and the recording of his escape. What do you think?" Stillwell asked.
Edgar analyzed the footage. One Homelander was already a problem; two was too much.
"My God… how old is he?" Vogelbaum asked.
"We don't know, but I called Eric Vans this morning and asked him to analyze the boy's DNA, everything we had on him. Apparently, he's sixteen, that's what he told me," Stillwell said.
"He's very skinny and short. He wasn't properly fed," Vogelbaum said, half guilty, maybe regretting what he had once done.
"Well, yes… but it's just business. You're not the best person to judge this; after all, you helped a lot, didn't you?" Stillwell said.
"Do you think he remembers anything from his past, or where he thinks he's going?" Edgar asked.
"I don't think so… according to yesterday's reports, after the Compound V took effect, he seemed to lose memory and the ability to communicate. We still don't know if the experiment was a success," Stillwell said.
"I see… and what about the footage? Did anyone else know or see it?" Edgar asked.
"Yes… actually, yes. There were many witnesses; many people saw and filmed it. Our team removed as much as possible, but there are still people trying to leak the story we buried. I want to know what you think we should do," Stillwell asked.
Edgar pondered the best course of action.
"Cover it up. Make this story disappear from the media. Use whatever money is necessary. I don't want anything leaking to the press, understood?" Edgar said to Stillwell.
"Yes… anything else you want to say or ask?" Stillwell asked.
"Tell the Homelander I'm sending him here now," Edgar said, spinning in his chair.
"Yes," Stillwell said with a smile.
She got up, grabbed the documents and her phone, and headed for the exit.
But before leaving, she remembered something:
"I almost forgot. They put a tracker on his body. We tried to locate him, but something is interfering with the signal. He's definitely getting help. What should I do with these people helping him?" Stillwell asked.
Edgar looked at her, his face calm and unreadable.
"You know exactly what to do," Edgar said.
"Alright… see you later," she said, leaving.
Stillwell walked through the Vought floors and made a call, speaking angrily into the phone:
"What the hell, Ashley? Where are you? Doesn't matter—meet me on the floor below, now!"
A voice replied, trembling:
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I still don't know exactly… and sorry," Ashley said.
"Doesn't matter. Maybe one day you'll stop being an idiot," Stillwell snapped.
They met on the lower floor. Ashley rushed and ran as fast as she could to the floor they had agreed on.
"Yes? Ma'am? What do you need?" Ashley asked, clearly tired and sweaty.
"Ashley, you're going to find the Homelander and tell him Edgar is looking for him. Fast. And important—if you delay, you're fired, understand?"
"But the Homelander ? Me? I'm just the coffee girl… I just got here. Am I really supposed to do this?" Ashley asked.
"Are you going or not, Ashley?" Stillwell asked.
"I'll go… yes, of course. Leave it to me," Ashley Barrett said, visibly tense.
"Good. I have something to do. Handle this for me, okay Ashley," Stillwell said while leaving and taking another call.
Ashley stayed in place, waiting for Stillwell to walk away. Once she did, she sighed in relief.
And thought:
"Shit, that horrible bitch… who does she think she is, that damn cow, that…," and many other curses that only passed in her mind, because nothing would come out of her mouth.
Then she remembered she had to find the Homelander kid quickly.
"Shit… the Homelander . I have to find him, damn it," she said out loud.
"I'm just the coffee girl—why do I have to do this?" she muttered as she went out looking for the Homelander in the Vought Tower.
(Last night, after V-25 escaped)
He was running through the city in his lab test outfit.
And of course, he was completely immersed in the joy of being ridiculously fast.
Who wouldn't be happy knowing they could run faster than a car or outrun a motorcycle?
As he ran, he left footprints in the street that sank into the concrete.
It felt amazing to have the wind hitting his face, the feeling of freedom and power was incredible.
The only downside was the wind hitting his ass and balls.
Shit, it's cold down there, but who cares?
Then he thought of something and decided he was going to do it.
While running, he bent his knees and jumped.
When he jumped, he destroyed the concrete of the street, leaving a hole in the ground.
He jumped high enough to reach a building in one go.
And of course, on his first attempt, he didn't do very well.
He jumped too high and hit a street pole, knocking it down.
"Shit… my bad," he said, trying to jump again, making another hole in the concrete.
This time, he nailed it and jumped high, reaching a rooftop. He didn't have much control over his strength yet, almost overshooting.
"Wow, hahaha," he laughed.
On top of the building, he found a clothesline with some clothes.
Technically naked, he decided to "borrow" them.
He grabbed pants and a shirt, put them on, and threw his lab outfit away.
After that, he sat on the edge of the roof, watching the city below, finally enjoying freedom.
From a distance, much farther than a normal person could see, he noticed an old car following him.
To be clear, it was tracing the footprints he had left in the concrete wherever he had run.
He saw it and thought:
Let's take a little look at who that is…
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(Note:I was too lazy to separate all the dialogues, so I did it the lazy way)