Inside the Boys' hideout, the four of them stood around the table in silence.
For years, Vought had convinced the public that Supes were born with God's blessing. The truth was the exact opposite. Supes weren't born. They were created.
Mother's Milk stared at the vial for a long moment before speaking. "If this gets out, Vought's finished."
Butcher picked it up and rolled it between his fingers. "This isn't just another secret. This is the secret. Every bloody Supe in America exists because of this little bottle."
Hughie still struggled to process it. "So every single one of them... Homelander, A-Train, Maeve... all of them were injected as babies?"
Frenchie nodded. "That would explain why the shipments were going to a neonatal ward."
Butcher stared at the blue liquid. For the first time in years he finally had something concrete instead of rumors and theories. The CIA couldn't dismiss this as another conspiracy story.
He thought about Becca. Eight years since Homelander raped her and she disappeared without leaving a trace. Eight years of not knowing whether she was alive or dead.
That question had driven every decision he'd made since — every lead he followed, every risk he took, every Supe he hunted. His hatred had kept him moving when nothing else could.
He slipped the vial into his coat and lit a cigarette. "Raynor's gonna hear about this. Even the bloody CIA can't ignore evidence like this."
Mother's Milk nodded. "This is bigger than just exposing Vought. If the government learns they've been making Supes instead of finding them, there'll be hearings, investigations... everything."
A grin spread slowly across Butcher's face. "Well... it's about fucking time these bastards got a proper reality check."
***
Ethan carried two bags of takeout as he and Aqua walked down the sidewalk.
"Hm. You don't seem all that worried about ending up in this world," he said. "You haven't even talked about trying to get back."
Aqua took another bite of her oversized ice cream before answering. "Why should I? The food here is amazing, there's plenty to eat, I don't have to work, and you're paying for everything. Honestly, this world suits me just fine."
Ethan glanced at her. He couldn't really argue with that.
Even back in her own world, Aqua hadn't exactly been overworked — most of her job consisted of sending dead souls off to another world, and compared to that, her current lifestyle was practically a vacation.
Besides, ever since the dimensional crack had brought them here, nothing similar had appeared again. It might have been a one-time accident.
Across the street, A-Train and the Deep watched from the mouth of a narrow alley. Neither of them wanted to get any closer.
"Should we grab him now?" the Deep asked quietly. The memory of being thrown through the air was still fresh in his mind.
A-Train shook his head immediately. "Are you out of your mind? He's not normal." He rubbed his jaw unconsciously. "If we try anything and it goes wrong, we'll be the ones getting our asses kicked again."
The Deep didn't argue. He remembered his own encounter well enough.
"Then what?"
"We do what Homelander told us," A-Train replied. "We find out where he lives, then we tell Homelander. Let him deal with it."
They kept their distance and quietly followed Ethan through several streets until they saw him enter an apartment building. A-Train memorized the address.
"That should be enough," he said. "Now we tell Homelander."
Neither of them considered the possibility that Homelander might lose. As far as they were concerned, there wasn't a Supe alive who could beat him.
Night eventually fell.
Inside the apartment, Ethan sat at the dining table with Aqua and Kimiko. The two women were in the middle of fighting over the last piece of fried chicken.
Kimiko had opened up considerably over the past few days — there was something strangely comforting about Aqua's presence, and she had gradually lowered her guard around her.
Another argument broke out as Aqua reached for the plate. "That's mine!"
Kimiko immediately pulled it away and glared at her.
Before Ethan could comment, someone knocked on the front door. His senses passed through it and a familiar figure came into view.
"Wow... Homelander."
He got up and opened the door.
Homelander stood outside wearing his usual public smile. "Hm. Homelander. Nice to see you found my address," Ethan said casually. "You want to come in? We're just having dinner."
"I'd love to," Homelander replied pleasantly. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about."
"Then come in. We were in the middle of eating."
Homelander stepped inside the apartment.
The first thing he noticed was Ethan. No fear, no nervousness, no attempt to impress him. Ethan treated him like a completely normal person who had knocked on the door. His eyes then swept across the room. Aqua was still holding her plate.
Kimiko, however, reacted immediately — the moment she recognized Homelander she pushed her chair back, stood up, and raised her hands into a fighting stance without taking her eyes off him.
Homelander noticed the reaction but didn't move.
Ethan glanced at Kimiko. "No need. He came here as a guest." Then he looked back at Homelander. "You came here as a guest... right?"
For a brief moment the two men simply looked at each other.
Homelander's smile never left his face. "Of course. I'm not here to fight."
***
A/N: And on Patreon, The Boys arc started.
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