From the moment he was born, Homie had been locked inside a cold steel cage, with only a solitary blanket for company.
Compounded by Vought International’s deliberate manipulation and indoctrination, Homelander grew up desperately starved for love.
As the most powerful entity on the planet, all Homelander had ever truly sought was genuine affection from a family.
From seeking maternal love in Madelyn, paternal acceptance in Soldier Boy, to craving his son Ryan’s admiration and respect—
These twisted longings had forged the freak that Homelander was today.
In Madelyn’s arms, Homelander was as docile as a lapdog, while Madelyn was Vought’s premier tool for keeping him under control.
Having coaxed Homelander into acting like a needy infant, Madelyn began her brainwashing routine.
“John…
Have you been watching me with your X-ray vision all along?
Is that how you heard my conversation with the mayor of Baltimore?”
“Mm.” Homelander nodded, a trace of white liquid still clinging to the corner of his mouth.
“I heard it, Madelyn.
I won’t allow anyone in this world to threaten you.
So I killed him.”
“Oh, my sweet John.” Madelyn leaned down and kissed his cheek, pampering him like a beloved lapdog.
“Madelyn…
are you mad at me for doing that?” Homelander asked timidly.
“Of course not.
You were just protecting me.” Madelyn gave a gentle smile.
“But you were a little overprotective.
Next time you want to do something like that, give me a heads-up first, okay?”
Madelyn knew Homelander’s psychology inside out.
He responded to soft persuasion, not brute force.
If she took a hard stance or tried to order him around, he would instantly rebel.
Coaxing him was the only way to keep him obedient.
Sure enough, Homelander nodded meekly.
Madelyn continued, “By the way, John, do you know where Translucent went?
He hasn’t shown up at headquarters for two days.
He was supposed to go with Starlight tonight to bust some drug dealers for her debut.”
Homelander blinked.
“I haven’t seen him in two days either.
Have you tried calling him?”
“I did.
No answer.
He probably overdosed at some party again.”
Madelyn frowned.
These Supes were all degenerates, scum, and promiscuous dogs.
Homelander pondered for a moment.
“Then send The Deep with Starlight for her debut.
He’s been performing well lately, so I’ve decided to promote him and swap his ranking with Translucent.
Madelyn, bump up his cut as a reward, too.”
Madelyn froze.
She had actually been thinking about promoting The Deep herself, but hadn’t figured out how to bring it up with Homelander.
After all, Homelander was intensely possessive.
Showing sudden, unexplained appreciation for The Deep would only backfire, and might even cost The Deep his life.
She hadn’t expected Homelander to bring up the promotion himself before she could even mention it.
She readily agreed.
In her heart, she grew curious about The Deep.
How had the guy managed to butter up Homelander like this?
Could it be…
Madelyn pictured The Deep’s clean-shaven, boyish face.
*Did you sell your ass, Deep?*
***
Port of Bren, New York.
As America’s answer to Shanghai, New York shared many similarities with the Chinese metropolis: both were the top economic hubs of their respective nations, both sat near the coast with world-class ports, and both bore the iconic badge of decadence and luxury.
The Deep and Starlight arrived at the harbor, accompanied by a film crew led by Ashley.
Telephoto lenses, lighting rigs, boom mics, and camera tracks were all fully set up.
Anyone looking on would think they were filming a new Supe blockbuster rather than busting drug dealers.
Starlight felt utterly uncomfortable with the spectacle, finding it mind-boggling.
She complained to The Deep beside her, “Deep…
I finally understand what you meant when you said being a superhero is just a business.”
*No!
This is just the tip of the iceberg.*
“Though…” Starlight shifted topics, “Vought’s intelligence network is pretty impressive.
Connecting to satellites, running big data—they can actually predict crimes before they happen.”
*Heh.* The Deep chuckled softly.
“Do you really believe big data can predict the future?”
“Huh?” Starlight stared blankly, not grasping his meaning.
If it wasn’t predicted in advance, how did the company know drug dealers would be conducting a deal here tonight, and arrange for them to crash it beforehand?
*Don’t make me laugh.
If Vought really had a model like that, why bother selling superhero merchandise?
They could just sell the algorithm directly to national security agencies worldwide.*
Then again, Starlight didn’t understand the concept of “fostering threats to boost one’s worth.”
The Deep didn’t know the exact mechanics of how Vought accurately predicted criminal activity, but anyone with half a brain could guess they had reached an understanding with New York’s crime syndicates.
Every month, the mobs fed Vought a few low-stakes tips so their Supes could deliver “justice” and harvest public prestige.
In return, Vought guaranteed that their Supes would turn a blind eye to the rest of the syndicates’ operations.
Quid pro quo.
Everyone got what they wanted.
That was how you run a business.
The Deep pinched the naive girl’s tender cheek and grinned.
“If there were no criminals in the world, superheroes would be completely meaningless.”
*Annoying!*
Starlight huffed internally, feeling a blush warm her face at his affectionate touch.
Her body seemed to be getting more and more used to him.
Yet past her embarrassment, she pondered his words carefully.
The more she thought about it, the more horrified she became.
The rules of how this world operated were entirely different from what she had imagined.
A moment later, The Deep and Starlight spotted two men carrying a duffel bag, sneaking onto the target cargo ship.
The Deep glanced at their skin tone.
*Targets locked.*
Ashley brought the film crew closer, setting up their camera angles.
Following the script, Starlight trailed the two men into the cargo ship while The Deep stood on the deck, back to the ocean, and executed a clean backflip into the sea.
“Nice!” Ashley couldn’t help exclaiming.
She secretly marveled at The Deep’s perky rear.
How could a man have such a perfect ass?
*Gulp!* Ashley swallowed hard.
*God, I want to be Lord Deep’s toilet paper.*
If you didn’t have a severe mental defect, you could hardly claim to be from *The Boys* universe.
Swinging through the water like a dragon, The Deep reached the ship and scaled the hull.
Once the crew caught up, a cameraman with a shoulder rig filmed him stepping into the hold.
Inside, two groups were conducting a deal.
One group was Hispanic, the other Black.
The drugs were hidden inside stuffed dolls, while an open briefcase on the other side exposed stacks of crisp green US dollars.
Starlight charged in first.
Facing the four drug dealers, she shouted forcefully, “Hands up!
You’re under arrest!”
Seeing Starlight stand hands-on-hips with righteous fury, The Deep licked his lips.
*Oh!
What a cute little officer of justice.*
Starlight’s dramatic entrance startled the drug dealers out of their wits.
Before she even finished speaking, all four bolted for the secondary exit without a second thought.
*Smack!*
The Deep slapped her behind lightly.
“Use your powers!”
Only then did Starlight remember the script.
Golden specks of light gathered in her palms, condensing into a dazzling sphere of illumination.
She fired it at the fleeing dealers as if shooting a gun, her body taking half a step back from the recoil.
Visually striking, but terribly inaccurate.
The light blast slammed directly into the table and chairs where the deal had been taking place.
With a loud *BOOM*, clouds of white powder detonated into the air, and the entire briefcase of cash was blasted skyward by the shockwave, raining green bills everywhere.
“Fuck!
I said blast the guys, not the money!
You wasteful girl!”
Starlight’s face flushed red.
She had gotten a little too nervous.
Seeing the four drug dealers about to escape the hold, The Deep pushed off with his toes.
Starlight felt a gust of wind whip past her ear.
The tallest, gangliest Black man was just about to burst out to safety when a dark shadow materialized right at the exit.
Thinking he was hallucinating, the gangly man rubbed his eyes involuntarily.
*CRASH!* He slammed straight into the man, stumbling back as his feet slipped, nearly taking a hilarious spill.
Before he could fall, his neck tightened as The Deep hoisted him into the air like a chick.
The night was dark and wind roared outside, but a solitary beam of moonlight cut through, bathing The Deep in light like a savior descended.
“Get a close-up!
Quick!” Ashley screamed frantically.
This shot was insanely cinematic!
This close-up was definitely going on the cover of this week’s bust story.
Just as all the cameras locked onto him, right in the center of the frame, The Deep snapped the dealer’s neck with a sharp twist.