"Hey! Don't steal Peter's line, alright?"
Thor shot Deadpool a warning gesture. "I guarantee you, Peter's watching this stream right now!"
Deadpool gasped dramatically. "Whoa, whoa—awesome! Peter, hey, can you hear me?
Uh… which Peter should I be talking to though?
Honestly, I've always been partial to Tobey. But Garfield wasn't bad either. And hey, Holland—I'm not saying you're out of the running. You've definitely got some sick dance moves. Seriously, trust me!"
Stephen sighed. "Alright, alright. Can we cool it with the clown act? If you really think the answer is you, then what's your reasoning?"
Deadpool crossed his arms. "Isn't it obvious? You've all had your spotlight already—so it's my turn! Watch closely, everyone. And try not to wet yourselves!"
Just as he finished speaking, the quiz countdown began. Deadpool lunged for the buzzer without hesitation—but unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough.
Hughie got it first.
He and Butcher exchanged a glance, then confidently selected D as their answer.
It was a choice they'd discussed beforehand—Butcher suspected that his own future still had twists to unfold. Maybe a comeback moment? A detour into an alternate timeline?
Hughie, on the other hand, simply didn't believe anything that came out of Deadpool's mouth.
Butcher also chose D. Annie chose B, while Thor picked A. Only Deadpool and Stephen chose C.
When the timer hit zero, the correct answer was revealed:
[Player Hughie Campbell answered incorrectly. 4 points deducted. Player Billy Butcher, Player Annie January, and Player Thor Odinson also answered incorrectly. 1 point deducted each]
[Congratulations to player Wade Wilson and Player Stephen Strange for the correct answer—1 point awarded each]
Deadpool sighed dramatically that he didn't win the buzzer race, then turned to Hughie with mock exasperation:
"You idiot! I literally handed you the answer, and you still got it wrong? Hughie—my dear Hughie—no wonder you get played like a fiddle by that maniac. Use your brain once in a while, huh?"
Hughie's head buzzed with frustration. He scratched at his temple and muttered, "The fact that you killed your alternate self just proves you're a lunatic."
He knew he couldn't win a war of words with Deadpool—so he just went for the personal attack.
Deadpool grinned. "Hughie, do you know what I see in that adorable little face of yours? Jealousy! But don't worry, once you see the glorious video of yours truly in action, you'll be even more jealous!"
Hughie stared at him, expression twisted.
'I've never met anyone so shameless in my life.'
—
Meanwhile, back in The Boys universe, chaos was erupting.
The fight between Homelander and Superman had escalated from the streets to the skies, drawing massive attention. If Deadpool saw it, he'd probably be furious—two overpowered meatheads stealing his spotlight!
But for the everyday people in that world, the arrival of Superman was something else entirely.
Most had believed Homelander to be unmatched, the pinnacle of superhuman power. And now, someone even stronger had shown up.
After analyzing satellite footage and tracking Bruce Banner's teleportation portal, the authorities came to a quick conclusion—these people were foreign invaders.
Homelander's guilt was still "under investigation," but these unknowns? Immediate threats.
Their new priority: detain the alien intruders.
The future video revelations had already tanked Vought International's stock price and severely damaged the government's credibility.
Outside Capitol Hill, protestors outnumbered even those outside Vought HQ.
Desperate to regain control, the authorities seized their chance—by using the superheroes of the Multiverse Defenders as scapegoats. If they could paint them as evil alien invaders, public opinion might just swing back in their favor.
Since they couldn't use tanks or missiles in the city without causing massive collateral damage, the government turned to Vought for help—specifically, to deploy their supers to deal with the threat.
Vought, already on the brink of collapse from the scandal, was desperate.
Getting this mission was like being jolted awake on their deathbed.
CEO Stan Edgar personally took the helm. First, he recalled the remaining members of The Seven. Then, under tight supervision from special ops, he ordered the logistics and intelligence departments to resume operations.
The Deep, A-Train, and Translucent returned to Vought Tower, exchanging stunned glances. None of them had expected to be called back—especially not so soon.
They had thought this scandal meant the end of their careers, maybe even jail time. Yet now, a second chance had landed right in their laps.
The Deep felt a mix of excitement and unease. While waiting for the elevator, he turned to Translucent and asked, "Do you think things will go back to how they were before?"
Translucent scratched his head, clearly annoyed. "Shit, how would I know? I just feel like a damn lapdog. They whistle, I show up. Then they kick me out when they're done!"
A-Train shot him a side-eye. "And yet, here you are."
They were all used to the Vought system. Obey orders, look pretty for the cameras, rake in cash and fame—and if anything went south, the company cleaned up after them.
If Vought collapsed or cut them loose, what did their powers matter?
The good life would be gone for good.
They all understood that. So the moment the company called, they came running.
Before long, they were seated in the conference room. Noir was already there, as was Queen Maeve. Even the retired Lamplighter had returned. There was also a dark-haired woman none of them recognized.
Stan Edgar sat at the head of the table. With a wave, he motioned for the trio to take their seats.
Then he introduced the new face:
"You all know Lamplighter. This is Stormfront. She'll be leading your mission against the alien invaders."
Stormfront gave a wicked, mocking smile as she eyed A-Train.
"Doesn't look like any of these aliens are fast. Not sure we'll need a certain… Black blur."
A-Train's eyes flared with rage. He clenched his fists and growled through gritted teeth:
"That's outright racist."
"Oh? Is it?" Stormfront stepped right up to him, still smiling. "A damn murderer like you should be rotting in prison. So if you want to stay out, I suggest you behave—unless you're aiming for a decades-long sentence."