In the conference room on the top floor of Vought Tower, Madelyn Stillwell sat at the head of the long table.
Before her were the members of The Seven present at that moment: Homelander, Queen Maeve, The Deep, Translucent, and Black Noir.
Madelyn Stillwell turned her tablet and slid it across the long table.
On the screen were images of Soldier Boy beating A-Train.
“Within three days, I want The Seven to bring Soldier Boy back to Vought Tower.
Dead or alive, though alive is preferable.”
On the other side of the table, Homelander responded: “I’m not going.”
The other four looked at Homelander in unison.
Queen Maeve frowned slightly.
The conference room remained silent for three full seconds.
Sitting nearby, Translucent, who had just hurried back from a fan meeting in Times Square, shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
The Deep stared blankly at the glass of water on the table, lost in thought.
Queen Maeve stood with her arms crossed, her expression hidden behind her mask.
She looked at Homelander and then back at the image of Soldier Boy on the screen.
Homelander’s refusal confused her a little: was he afraid?
Thinking about it, Maeve felt it was quite possible.
After all, this was Soldier Boy.
Madelyn Stillwell was a little taken aback.
“Homelander?”
Homelander finally looked up.
In those eyes, an unrealistically intense blue, the frozen image on the screen was reflected, along with Benjamin’s face.
His expression showed neither anger nor his usual emotions.
“I said I’m not going.”
Homelander stood up, placed his hands on the table, and leaned slightly forward.
“Madelyn Stillwell, I want access to all of Soldier Boy’s files.
Until I find out why he’s still alive, why he looks exactly the same as forty years ago, and until I know the truth, The Seven won’t touch him!”
In public.
In front of a lot of people.
Our stock price dropped three points at the opening today!”
“Then let A-Train get revenge.”
Homelander shrugged, a cold, expressionless smile curling at the corners of his lips.
“Oh, wait, I forgot.
Right now he’s wearing a knee brace and crying like a twelve-year-old girl in the infirmary.”
Translucent opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but after receiving a death glare from Homelander, he immediately swallowed his words.
He knew exactly what that expression meant.
You don’t interrupt Homelander when he’s in a bad mood.
Madelyn Stillwell stood up slowly, her high heels clicking sharply against the marble floor as she approached Homelander.
“Listen, Homelander, it doesn’t matter if he’s most likely an impostor pretending to be Soldier Boy, even if he were the real one, he still hurt A-Train.”
“As I already said, let A-Train handle it.”
“All of you, get out.”
Madelyn Stillwell dismissed the others, leaving only Homelander in the room.
After Queen Maeve and the others left, Madelyn Stillwell reached out to caress Homelander’s face, intending to use the old methods…
However, Homelander didn’t show his usual fascination.
“I’m going to review the files.
Wait for my word, and until I know the whole truth, don’t touch him!”
With those words, he turned and left, not even glancing at Madelyn Stillwell, who was about to undress.
The conference room door slammed shut as he left.
Madelyn Stillwell stood there, staring in the direction Homelander had gone.
She unconsciously clenched her right fist, and her expression was very grim.
This was one of the few times Homelander had defied her.
Forty-three floors below Vought Tower was the Records Management Center. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
The corridor lights were as bright white as an operating room.
Every three meters there was an identity verification terminal, and guards were posted every fifteen steps, all equipped with standard gear capable of neutralizing a Class C Super.
This was one of the highest-security areas in all of Vought International, second only to the central Compound V R&D lab.
Homelander’s boots echoed on the epoxy resin floor of the corridor, each step filled with suppressed anger.
He had already visited three departments: the Records Management Office, the Historical Records Room, and the Board Secretary’s Office.
On each occasion, the staff responded with the same professional, standard smile: “We’re sorry, Mr.
Homelander, you need written authorization from Mrs.
Madelyn Stillwell to access files of this level.” Or: “We’re sorry, the data is being digitally migrated and is temporarily unavailable.” Or, even more bluntly: “This file does not exist.”
Doesn’t exist?
Homelander stopped in front of the last window and slammed his fist on the counter.
The surface of the bulletproof glass counter cracked into a spiderweb pattern centered around his fist.
The clerk inside was so startled that he stumbled backward, his chair tipping over with a loud crash.
“Soldier Boy,”
Homelander’s voice traveled through the cracked glass, each word squeezed through his teeth.
“A World War II hero, a key member of the original Seven, and a founder of Vought.
Are you telling me his file doesn’t exist?
Or is it hiding some unspeakable secret?
I’m Homelander, I do what I want, and I want to consult Soldier Boy’s file!
Right now!
Tell me!”
The young man on the floor adjusted his glasses with trembling hands, his voice shaking so much it was barely audible.
He knew that what he was about to say could cost him his life.
“Mr.
Homelander, the records…
the record system shows that all of Soldier Boy’s files have been classified as Top Secret.
Access requires joint authorization from at least three members of the Board of Directors.”