Annie was incredibly excited, occasionally glancing at the back of the greatest and strongest superhero on Earth.
Ever since she was a child, she had watched Homelander’s exploits on television and dreamed of becoming someone like him.
She genuinely wanted to protect civilians and become the kind of hero they could always rely on.
And now she was in the Seven, the number one superhero team.
That was hardly an exaggeration.
There weren’t many people capable of competing with even one of its members.
And now she was one of them.
“How are you feeling?” Homelander suddenly asked as they stepped into the elevator.
“I… I’m fine.”
The girl tried to smile, but the expression came out far too uncertain.
Apparently, he noticed.
“And how do you really feel?”
He turned toward her with an understanding smile.
“I feel like I don’t deserve any of this.”
Annie looked away from the hero’s blue eyes.
“You’re not the only one who feels that way,” Homelander said with a quiet scoff, remembering the Deep.
“But I assure you, you’re not in the Seven out of pity. Your abilities are strong enough to meet the requirements, and that’s what matters.”
“Really?”
Starlight was surprised.
She couldn’t imagine being able to stand against someone like A-Train, for example.
“Otherwise, they wouldn’t have taken you. The Seven only has the strongest.”
Homelander smirked confidently and stepped out of the elevator.
Starlight hurried after him.
Soon, they entered a spacious room where all the members of the Seven gathered around a single table.
Monitors covered the walls, presumably to make patrolling the city more efficient.
“This is where we meet. And here’s your seat.”
The blond man pointed toward one of the chairs.
“Really? I can sit here?”
Annie looked at him with undisguised admiration.
“You can.”
Homelander nodded and watched with interest as the girl carefully took her seat at the table.
“Well?”
“This is amazing… I mean, good.”
Starlight corrected herself when she noticed the hero’s amused expression.
“Well, excellent.”
He nodded.
“Now, let’s go over a few rules you’ll have to follow, Starlight. Ready to listen?”
“Yes, of course. I’m ready.”
Starlight straightened up, placing her hands on the table like an attentive student.
“First of all, everything that happens here stays inside this building. That’s the most important rule.”
Homelander noticed the confusion in her eyes and continued.
“Second, you report directly to me. Not Madelyn or anyone else, me. If something is bothering you, you come to me.”
“Understood.”
Annie nodded, although she didn’t quite understand why he needed to spell that out.
Everyone in the Seven was supposed to follow their leader anyway.
“Since I’ve introduced you as a member of the Seven, we’ll be working together from now on. Tomorrow, we’ll test the extent of your abilities and, if possible, help you get better control over them.”
“But I already know how to control my powers,” Starlight said hesitantly.
“That’s what we’ll find out.”
Homelander gave a quiet scoff.
“The rest is simple. Be careful in the women’s restroom. The Deep usually hangs around in there.”
“What?”
The blonde stared at him in shock.
She couldn’t imagine why the local Invisible Man would spend his time in a women’s bathroom.
“He likes to watch.”
Homelander answered as though that explained everything.
“Why?”
Annie’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Because he can, and because he wants to. That’s just the kind of person he is.”
Homelander smiled.
“And finally, don’t ruin your own reputation.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t cause trouble in the streets. Don’t get caught on camera drinking or smoking. Watch what you say. If your public approval drops too far, even I won’t be able to keep you in the Seven.”
“I… understand.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to overwhelm you. But this is important, especially for your sake.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look directly into his eyes.
“You’re in the Seven now, and the hardest part is behind you. You can go get some rest in your apartment. Ashley will give you the keys.”
With that, Homelander walked over to the panoramic window and began staring out at the city below.
Annie carefully rose from her chair.
She glanced at the hero’s back and quietly exhaled.
“Good night, Homelander.”
She gave him an uncertain smile before leaving the room.
It had definitely been an overwhelming day.
“Good night, Starlight.”
The man’s voice followed her out.
Hughie felt completely out of place.
He knew he didn’t belong here.
Everything had started with the death of Robin, his girlfriend, who had been run straight through by A-Train.
It had completely destroyed him.
The speedster, whom Hughie had once been a huge fan of, hadn’t even apologized for what he’d done.
He had simply excused himself by claiming he had been chasing bank robbers.
Then Vought had sent someone to offer Hughie money in exchange for his silence.
That was what had finally pushed him over the edge.
Some time later, a British man had come to see him.
He had a beard and a noticeable scar across his forehead, and introduced himself as an FBI agent.
Billy Butcher, as the Brit called himself, showed Hughie documents proving that there hadn’t been any bank robbery that day.
Hughie had no choice but to believe him.
Now, he was standing in a room filled with monitors.
The screens showed surveillance footage from a club.
Not an ordinary club.
This was where supes went to spend their free time.
They drank, took drugs, and slept around without a care in the world.
It was hardly what you’d expect from people who were supposed to be practically flawless.
“There it is.”
Butcher pointed toward one of the screens.
A-Train himself was sitting on a couch.
The Black superhero was almost always seen wearing his trademark glasses because of the incredible speeds at which he ran.
He was dressed in his blue suit, the letter “A” displayed prominently on his shoulders, as though it were a constant reminder that he was always number one.
“Wait… Is he actually here right now?”
Hughie asked nervously, unnerved by the thought that the speedster might be only a few steps away from them.
“No. That’s footage from yesterday. Turn up the sound.”
Butcher spoke to the security guard.
“You really screwed yourself over because of some woman.”
One of the supes, who was practically naked, laughed as he joined A-Train for a drink.
“That’s not even the worst of it. I went through her so fast that I swallowed one of her molars… like a bug hitting a windshield.”
The black speedster spoke enthusiastically, apparently finding the memory amusing.
“Jesus Christ.”
His companion burst out laughing as though he’d just heard the funniest joke imaginable.
A-Train joined him, laughing hysterically.
“They’re laughing. They think it’s funny.”
Hughie began breathing heavily, his hand tightening into a fist in anger.
“You think that’s funny?”
Another voice suddenly rang out.
Someone stepped into the frame, someone Hughie never expected to see there.
He glanced at Butcher, but the older man was staring intently at the screen and paid him no attention.
“Homelander?”
A-Train coughed in surprise while his friend quickly slipped away.
“You think it’s funny that you killed a civilian?”
Homelander asked.
There was no doubt that it was really him.
“Come on, everything’s under control.”
The black man answered while cautiously watching the superhero.
“Really? Because it doesn’t look that way to me.”
Homelander gave a quiet scoff, his expression filled with disapproval.
“Yeah, but…”
“You didn’t see her? Or you couldn’t stop in time?”
The blond suddenly asked.
“I didn’t see her.”
“You’re lying, A-Train.”
Homelander loomed over him threateningly.
“And you know I don’t like being lied to.”
“Okay, okay! I couldn’t stop!”
“How much were you taking?”
“I wasn’t… Fine. I was taking some. Not much.”
“You’ll have to stop if you don’t want to get kicked out of the Seven.”
“For what? Because some woman died?!”
“You’re losing control of your abilities. Your body can barely handle that stuff anymore. You’re becoming dependent on it, and your heart isn’t made of steel.”
Homelander remained remarkably calm.
“So Robin Ward’s death is only the beginning. It will get worse from here.”
“What about my heart?”
A-Train’s voice was suddenly filled with concern.
“I can see what that drug is doing to your body, and your heart is taking the biggest hit. If you don’t want to become another crippled supe, you’d better listen to me.”
Homelander glanced around the room.
“Have a good evening. And deal with the consequences of your actions.”
A-Train couldn’t say a word.
He simply stared at Homelander.
Realizing the speedster had nothing to say in response, Homelander calmly walked away, leaving him alone.
“Fuck!!”
A-Train screamed in rage and smashed his fist into the glass table, shattering it along with the bottles of alcohol.
The footage stopped.
Butcher turned toward Hughie.
His intense stare was uncomfortable, but Hughie didn’t look away.
“So, what have you decided?”
Butcher stepped closer, staring directly into his eyes.
“If even Homelander mentioned what happened to Robin, that means they’ve got something to be afraid of.”
He paused.
“So, what do you say? You going to help me bring that bastard down?”