Flying is incredible.
It’s exhilarating, almost impossible to put into words.
No matter how many words I knew, I don’t think I’d ever be able to properly describe what it feels like to soar above the clouds.
Then again, that might have more to do with my vocabulary, which, if I’m being honest, is pretty damn limited.
Not that I need a particularly impressive vocabulary for this.
I’m not exactly writing a book.
The other problem is that it’s incredibly easy to lose track of time when you’re up in the sky.
That intoxicating feeling of complete freedom, of having absolutely nothing holding you down, is unforgettable.
When you have abilities like these, giving them up would be almost impossible.
Fortunately, I had no intention of giving them up.
I was perfectly happy with things as they were.
I landed on the balcony of my apartment, ran a hand through my hair, and calmly walked over to the water pitcher on the cabinet.
I poured myself a glass and downed it in one go before glancing at the clock.
Nine in the morning.
The meeting should have already started.
“Looks like I’m late?”
I said it without much concern, setting the glass back in its place.
With a quiet snort, I headed for the door at an unhurried pace.
The familiar hallway was empty, as usual.
There were never any random people wandering around here, and a spacious elevator was waiting directly ahead.
I pressed the call button and waited, watching the red numbers above the doors as they slowly approached my floor.
I didn’t have to wait long.
A couple of seconds later, the elevator doors slid open.
“Good morning, Starlight.”
I smiled when I saw the girl standing inside, staring at me in surprise.
“Hi… I mean, hello, sir!”
She answered nervously, even raising a hand in greeting.
She immediately took a step backward to make room for me, even though there was more than enough space inside the spacious elevator.
I merely shook my head inwardly and stepped inside, taking a position to her right.
The doors closed, and we began our ascent in silence.
“Nervous?”
I asked, watching her reflection in front of me with some interest.
“A little.”
“You don’t need to be. They’re all ordinary people… at least when it comes to their behavior.”
I paused.
“Well, saying that about Noir is a little difficult, but that’s only at first glance. Did you know he can play the piano?”
“Really?”
Starlight looked genuinely surprised.
Black Noir was so quiet and genuinely secretive that learning anything about him beyond the obvious was practically impossible.
“Absolutely. Though he only plays when he’s in the mood, so it doesn’t happen very often.”
“That’s a shame.”
The blonde sighed, already realizing that she probably wouldn’t be seeing that side of him anytime soon.
“Oh, and one more thing. You really shouldn’t be late for your first meeting.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
She looked embarrassed.
“Relax. Just call me Homelander.”
I waved my hand dismissively and smiled at her.
She smiled back.
The elevator soon came to a smooth stop at the appropriate floor, and the doors opened.
I stepped out and headed straight for the meeting room, with Starlight quietly following behind me.
The massive steel doors swung open without a sound, revealing the assembled “heroes” inside.
Black Noir was the one who immediately drew the most attention in the brightly lit room, simply because of his completely black suit.
He was so quiet that you could mistake him for a mute.
He was also the most effective member of the Seven, considering how efficiently he carved through criminals in large numbers.
He didn’t smoke or drink, and he wasn’t fond of noisy gatherings.
His abilities included superhuman strength, endurance, and regeneration.
His only real flaw was his absolute loyalty to Vought.
Next was Translucent.
He was sitting there wearing glasses and loose gray clothes.
Why?
Someone unfamiliar might ask.
The answer was simple: he didn’t actually need a costume.
At one point, I’d wondered whether an invisible man had to be naked in order to remain invisible.
Well, the answer was yes.
In his normal state, Translucent looked like an ordinary middle-aged man.
While invisible, he possessed both invisibility and near-invulnerability.
For the most part, Translucent cared about money, and he had no intention of putting himself in danger for the company unless there was something in it for him.
Then there was A-Train.
He had joined the team relatively recently, about four years ago.
Before him, the position had belonged to Mister Marathon, another speedster, except he wore red.
These days, he was retired, and deservedly so.
Bartholomew had genuinely been a worthy member of the team, unlike his current replacement.
At least he never ran straight through people.
Not that he had been perfect either.
Anyway, A-Train possessed the same abilities as any speedster.
At this point, he was so fast that he used an entire train for his training sessions.
That’s where his nickname came from.
He had earned his place through blood and sweat, defeating Mister Marathon in a race.
The competition had been partially staged, but both of them had still run at full speed.
His only real weakness was his dependence on Compound V, the drug used by superheroes.
However, he was personally loyal to me.
Next came The Deep.
He was a handsome guy wearing a green, scale-covered suit.
He was easily the least confident member of the team.
He could communicate with fish and swim both quickly and deep underwater.
He also had the standard package of superhuman strength and durability.
He considered himself ugly because of the gills on his body.
The problem was that Homelander had made fun of him when he’d first seen them.
After that, the information became public knowledge, thanks in no small part to one particular blonde.
The perfect Aryan had simply seen The Deep as a threat to his position as the most popular hero, especially since The Deep had plenty of female fans.
Ever since then, the guy had stopped appearing in public with his chest exposed.
Homelander never passed up an opportunity to remind The Deep of that particular flaw.
He was loyal to Vought, though not fanatically so.
And finally, Queen Maeve.
A beautiful red-haired woman wearing what could generously be called natural armor.
Though, to be fair, it wasn’t all that far removed from being a glorified armored bra.
Fortunately, her own body could withstand far more punishment than the armor ever could.
On the surface, she came across as a bitch.
In reality, she genuinely loved her job, at least the part where she got to save ordinary people.
She had wanted to save the entire world, only to become disillusioned after realizing that the world didn’t actually need her.
That was where the alcoholism came in.
As for her abilities, she possessed the standard enhanced strength, speed, and durability, along with the ability to fly.
Calling her flight fast would be generous, though.
Even an ordinary compact car could outrun her.
She maintained a neutral position, was somewhat afraid of Homelander, and didn’t trust Vought.
“Sorry for being late.”
I looked over all the assembled heroes, smiled pleasantly, and gestured toward the blonde beside me.
“I’m happy to introduce the newest member of our team, Starlight.”
“Hello.”
The girl smiled and waved.
A somewhat disorganized chorus of voices answered her greeting.
Black Noir waved back, while Maeve simply ignored her, suspiciously shifting her gaze between me and the newcomer.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t prepare a speech.”
I walked over to my seat in the very center of the room and settled into the chair.
“So let’s skip the formalities and get started.”
“Excellent. Let’s move straight to the main issue.”
Translucent took over, sitting there in his glasses despite being invisible.
It looked rather amusing.
Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with his eyesight.
The glasses were mostly there to make it clear where his eyes were.
“Those bastards leaked a pirated copy of my latest movie three weeks before the premiere!”
Translucent didn’t bother censoring himself as he continued, reading something from his tablet.
“You can’t even walk down Fifth Avenue without running into some stall selling unlicensed Homelander merchandise. This is an outrageous violation of copyright that’s costing the company billions in losses, and that means it’s coming out of our pockets too.”
He looked around.
“How much do we each get again? Four percent?”
“What the fuck?! Everyone gets four?”
A-Train immediately protested.
Considering he only received two percent, his outrage was understandable.
Ideally, everyone on the team should have received an equal share.
But capitalism had other ideas.
Homelander received a full ten percent of the profits from anything personally associated with him, along with two percent of everything involving the Seven.
Maeve and Noir were in the same position.
Translucent and The Deep received four percent each.
As for Starlight, she didn’t even have a percentage yet.
“We could at least get better lawyers.”
Maeve commented, holding a glass of whiskey in one hand.
“Are you all done bickering?”
My question immediately silenced everyone.
“Wonderful first meeting. You’ve all shown yourselves in the best possible light.”
I looked around the room.
“Now let’s move on to the important question. Who did you save this week?”
The Deep nervously raised his hand, then immediately lowered it again.
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
The guy had been bullied so badly that it was almost painful to watch.
I looked at him and nodded, giving him permission to speak.
“I saved six people.”
The Deep immediately brightened.
“Drowning victims?”
“Yes.”
His enthusiasm vanished.
“That’s the only thing you’re good for.”
Maeve whispered it, though everyone in the room heard her perfectly well.
The Deep pressed his lips together as A-Train covered his mouth with one hand, trying not to smile.
“Not bad. Keep it up.”
I smiled, deliberately ignoring Maeve’s comment.
“Thank you.”
The Deep nodded gratefully.
“Next, Black Noir…”
The rest of the meeting went by routinely and without much trouble, although Starlight couldn’t exactly boast about any impressive achievements yet.
That was understandable for someone who had only just joined the team, but judging by her expression, the criticism had still left a mark.
Eventually, the meeting ended with another round of Translucent complaining about all the money being lost.
After that, it was time for me to personally find out what Starlight was capable of.
Hopefully, she wouldn’t disappoint me.