Far away from the place that used to be a warehouse that received packages from all over the world, high up in a tree…
"What am I supposed to do now?" the boy asked himself.
After all that chaos, V-25 had fled and, at some point, ended up leaving his motorcycle behind.
He was so tired that his eyes could barely stay open anymore.
"Is it over? Can I finally relax? Those idiots don't seem to be after me anymore," he murmured, clearly exhausted.
He thought for a moment and eventually slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone.
He wasn't the kind of guy who, to be honest, cared much about anyone.
But like it or not, now he was in debt.
He grabbed the phone, ready to send a message, but apparently it had stopped working.
"Screw it," he muttered, putting the phone away and falling asleep as he rested his head against the tree.
(Vought Tower, a few hours later)
A woman rushed back and forth, half desperate, through the corridors of Vought's main tower.
She wore formal clothes and held something for taking notes.
"Have you seen Homelander?" she asked a man.
"I haven't, sorry," replied one of the tower's employees, awkwardly.
"Homelander, have you seen him?" she asked another person.
She kept asking everyone she ran into—her boss had given her a direct order: talk to Homelander and tell him they needed to meet.
She continued until she bumped into someone while walking around.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—it was an accident," she said without even looking.
"Wow, you seem agitated. Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, yes…" she replied.
That's when she looked up and realized who it was.
"Homelander…" she murmured, tense.
After all, the person she had bumped into was a big deal. Her heart started racing.
"I'm sorry… I didn't… mean to…" she stammered.
He answered with a smile, in a slightly playful tone.
"Oh, it's nothing. It's fine," he said, wrapping an arm around her as they started walking.
"Homelander?" she murmured, a little panicked.
"So, I heard you want to talk to me. Well, I think everyone in the tower knows by now. I hope it's something important," he said.
Ashley swallowed hard and replied,
"Ms. Madelyn asked me to tell you she wants to speak with you, and… it seemed urgent."
"Oh really? Madelyn, huh?" Homelander murmured.
Homelander looked thoughtful, while Ashley was terrified.
She didn't know why—maybe because he was insanely strong and, technically, if he wanted to, he could crush her like an ant and there'd be nothing she could do.
Or maybe it was the feeling of having absolutely no control over her own life at that moment.
The man was already a decorated superhero, considered the strongest, and had been at the "top" for at least ten years.
"Well, I wonder what that's about. Let's go—you're coming with me," Homelander said.
"But, sir… I'm just—" Ashley murmured.
"No, no. You're coming with me. By the way, what's your name?" he asked in a way that felt terrifying to her.
"Ashley…" she whispered.
"You seem tense, Ashley. Your heart's racing. There's nothing to be afraid of," Homelander said.
"Yes…"
Meanwhile…
A young man walked quietly through the city with no real destination.
After waking up, he had picked up his motorcycle, ridden for a while, and stopped in a busy area full of buildings and people. He got off the bike and decided to walk around and think about what to do next.
"Shouldn't the police be after me or something?" he muttered while walking.
He couldn't help but notice movie posters and advertisements for what looked like films or comic book characters.
One of them appeared everywhere—a blond guy who looked pretty gay and wore a cape with the symbol of the American flag.
"Who's this idiot?" V-25 muttered.
That's when his stomach growled. He placed a hand on his belly, feeling hungry.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out some money he had taken from an ATM earlier.
"I stole this money. Technically, I'm a thief. I shouldn't use it… but I'm hungry," he thought.
He looked for the nearest place where he could eat something.
After eating, he spent some time enjoying the peace.
Even without much money or a place to live, he didn't feel afraid—but his heart was full of anguish. He was in debt, and his doubts had to be paid.
He slipped his hand into his pocket again and realized he still had Frenchie's number.
"If I call, I'll be putting myself at risk. Or maybe not. Maybe nothing is stronger than me. I could just run away, live a normal life, and forget all this…" he thought.
"But…"
He sighed.
Then he got another phone—this time a public one—and called Frenchie.
Meanwhile, with The Boys…
Don't think The Boys weren't in panic—they were.
They feared their "super" had run away and left them hanging.
Butcher and MM were arguing in what looked like a room inside one of their bases.
"This was the dumbest idea we've ever had," Butcher said loudly.
MM agreed, admitting the plan had been bad and that they'd been idiots—but Frenchie was still hopeful.
Butcher and MM had already given up. It was late the next day—or maybe the day after—and the kid still hadn't called.
Then a phone started ringing.
Frenchie answered, but not before telling the other two to shut up.
"Alright, I'll be honest with you. I don't want to be here. I don't care about you. But I owe you one. So whatever it is, I'll help you kill whoever you want—but be warned: when this is over, I'm out. So what's your stupid plan?" V-25 said.
Butcher, Frenchie, and MM spent long minutes deciding what the plan would be and what they should do.
After what felt like an eternity, Butcher finally answered:
"You're going to be our infiltrator inside Vought. You're going to help us destroy it from the inside out," he said, excited.
Everyone: "…What?" 😐
---------
(Author's Note)
"I've been feeling pretty lazy lately. I was kind of unmotivated, but now I think things are going to get more interesting, since I'm planning to put the MC in The Seven."