Hughie might have been prepared to accept a mission, but he also knew exactly how much he could handle.
If it meant keeping Homelander under control… that was absolutely beyond him.
Tony shrugged, deliberately trying to rattle him.
"Relax. Homelander, Black Noir, Stormfront… you won't be the one dealing with those ticking time bombs. Actually, it's The Deep. Interesting case—out of the whole bunch, he's the most eager to confess and make amends, says he's willing to cooperate. We've run him through every test we've got—psychological, physical, you name it—and his overall threat level isn't that high. Maybe we give him a chance."
As he said this, Tony cast a glance at Annie.
"Hope you don't take offense, ma'am. I'll just say this upfront—I might be a man, but I'm firmly on your side. You should know that in my world, in Steve's world, in Peter's world, and a few others… a lot of women are speaking out for you. Protesting workplace harassment, coercion, that sort of thing."
Annie's lips twitched. "I'm not going to pretend I've forgiven him. But whatever happens, I'll make sure nothing like that ever happens to me again."
"Of course, of course! We've got plenty of female heroes here—Diana, Natasha, Wanda… They'll be your staunchest supporters."
After reassuring her, Tony turned back to Hughie.
"So, kid—if I hand The Deep over to you, can you keep him in line?"
Hughie felt both nervous and a little excited. After all, he had just joined such a monumental organization. How could he refuse the very first mission assigned to him?
"...I—I think I'll need to think about it." He scratched his head. Then, almost immediately, waved his hands frantically. "No, wait, I don't need to think… actually, hold on, maybe I should think—"
Tony gave him a deadpan "subway old man" look and spread his hands toward Annie. "Is he always like this?"
Annie couldn't help laughing. "I don't think he's ready yet. If necessary, you could always assign this mission to—"
"I'm ready!" Hughie blurted out before she could finish, pumping his fist. "Really! I'm ready. Leave this mission to me!"
Tony clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't let me down, Hughie. Prometheus will take you to The Deep."
Hughie nodded vigorously and followed the AI's guidance down another corridor.
Tony glanced at Annie. "You're not worried about him? He's still immature. Even with powers, if something unexpected happens, he could end up in over his head."
Annie shook her head. "Once Hughie makes up his mind, I believe he can handle it. And I also believe you'll assign someone to shadow him—both as protection and as a test, right?"
Tony snapped his fingers. "Smart girl. No wonder Diana likes you. Honestly, things used to be simpler… but as you've seen, the bigger the organization gets, the more details we have to watch out for. Anyway—here we are."
They stepped into a pristine white room.
At its center, crimson light pulsed and shimmered. A pale, beautiful young woman floated cross-legged in midair, a foreboding magic tome open before her.
From Prometheus's hero files, Annie immediately recognized her—the Scarlet Witch, Wanda.
It was Annie's first time seeing such a surreal scene. She looked closer, fascinated. The red light wasn't just light—tiny glowing orbs of various sizes floated within it, each one swirling with shifting shadows and flickering images, as if they were miniature worlds in themselves.
"Wanda's searching for Billy Butcher. If she finds him, you'll join the rescue mission. Of course, if you'd rather not, no one will force you," Tony explained.
Annie agreed without hesitation.
Just then, more people entered. Leading them was Dr. Bruce Banner—followed by Annie's fellow countrywoman, Queen Maeve.
Annie's eyes widened in surprise.
Maeve reached out with a relaxed smile. "Annie, no matter what world we're in, this will be our first time working a mission together."
Annie beamed. "That's great, Maeve. I'm so glad to see you here. I even asked Diana about you—but she told me you were still stuck with Vought!"
In the "future video," Maeve had appeared complicit with Homelander and indifferent to what happened to Annie at The Deep's hands.
But compared to A-Train, Translucent, The Deep, and Homelander, Maeve was arguably the cleanest member of the Seven—second only to Annie herself.
Before joining the Multiverse Defenders, Annie had looked into Maeve's whereabouts. Knowing the organization was short on people, she had even thought about recruiting her childhood idol—only to get a vague, noncommittal answer.
She'd assumed Maeve had refused the offer and chosen to stay in Vought's world.
"I was handling some personal matters back then," Maeve explained. "But truth is, I joined the Multiverse Defenders before you and Hughie."
Her expression darkened in mock irritation.
"Honestly? I joined right after Diana gave me a lecture. I was mostly here to get back at her."
Annie grinned. "What, trying to prove which one of you is the 'official version'?"
She knew Maeve was joking, so she played along, teasing with the "official vs. bootleg" line.
To be fair, Maeve's look was indeed strikingly similar to Wonder Woman's. During an earlier rescue mission led by Banner and Superman, Diana and Maeve had fought—two powerful women clashing, only to end up respecting each other.
In that battle, Diana had seen Maeve's true feelings and urged her to break free from the Seven and Vought's control.
Maeve's story was a lot like Annie's—except she hadn't been able to hold out to the end. She'd started as a kind, idealistic new recruit, only to grow disillusioned and powerless after witnessing Homelander's atrocities year after year.
Her life had been far from happy.
So, after Diana's persuasion, Maeve had made the right choice. She'd turned against the Seven in the final moments, helping bring about their downfall. Afterward, it was only natural for her to join the Multiverse Defenders.
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