Hearing the screams around him, Axel closed his eyes with quiet satisfaction.
At the same time, a gentle mental force spread outward, slowly enveloping the entire plane. Under his control, the aircraft eased to a halt, then stabilized, hovering among the clouds.
Inside the cabin, the passengers felt the sudden change. The chaos faded as people looked around in confusion, then in awe. One by one, their eyes turned toward Axel.
Meeting their gaze, Axel opened his eyes and smiled.
"Relax, people. You've got to learn to trust superheroes like me, haha. Quick question, have you ever experienced teleportation? No? Then sit tight. I'll make this memorable."
As his voice faded, his body ignited into a burst of flame and vanished.
The moment he disappeared, panic flickered through the cabin. Then flames erupted, rapidly spreading across the plane. Before anyone could scream, the fire swallowed everything.
A moment later, the flames vanished just as suddenly as they appeared.
A child near the window shouted in shock.
"We're home!"
"What?"
"Oh my God… this is New York!"
"That's Vought Tower!"
"We're saved!"
"We were just over the Atlantic!"
Cheers erupted across the cabin.
"Long live Axel!"
"Axel! Axel! Axel!"
"I love superheroes!"
Far below, inside Vought Tower, Madelyn was in the middle of scolding Emma.
Emma sat stiffly, her clothes in disarray, her expression tense. Madelyn stood in front of her, voice sharp and controlled.
"I don't care what you do in private, and I don't care about whatever you and Axel get up to. But this is Vought Tower. Act like it. Inside your room, do whatever you want. Outside, you represent him."
Her tone hardened.
"When you ran out of his room dressed like that, he was out saving a hijacked plane. That is the image people need to see, not whatever nonsense you're showing."
She leaned closer.
"If you damage his reputation, I won't care how much he likes you. I will deal with you myself."
Mid-sentence, Madelyn froze, staring out the window.
"Oh my God… what is that…?"
Emma turned, confused, then followed her gaze.
Her eyes widened.
High above the city, Axel floated in the sky, arms raised. Resting above him was an entire airplane.
Emma stood up abruptly.
"How is he doing that?"
Madelyn didn't look away.
"Forget how. That man is beyond anything we planned. He's closer to a god than Homelander ever was."
She immediately grabbed her phone and began issuing rapid instructions to Vought's publicity department.
They didn't need much prompting. Cameras were already rolling, capturing every angle of Axel holding a full-sized plane over New York.
Amid stunned silence, Axel descended, lowering the aircraft gently into Vought's plaza.
The moment it landed, the emergency doors burst open. The flight attendant slid down first, followed by a flood of passengers pouring out behind her.
She ran straight to Axel and threw her arms around him, kissing him without hesitation.
From the tower above, Emma watched, her expression tightening.
Madelyn placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You see? You're not special. You're just one of many. Don't confuse your position."
Emma snapped back immediately.
"That wasn't my outfit, that was Axel's shirt. My clothes were destroyed. What did you expect me to wear, nothing? I have school today."
Her voice cracked with frustration.
"You expect cultural credits, right? Mine are terrible. If Axel finds out I'm failing, what do you think happens? He said he wants to see me in college. So maybe stop wasting my time."
Tears filled her eyes.
"Just let me study."
She turned and ran out.
Minutes later, she was back in Axel's room, diving under the covers. After a moment, she shrank down to the size of a cricket and crawled out from beneath his pillow, her emotions still in disarray.
Despite everything, one thought lingered.
He might be a terrible person, but he knew exactly how to get under her skin.
Elsewhere, the aftermath of Axel's debut spread across the city.
At the same time, Homelander stood beneath a falling woman, holding a comic book in one hand. He smiled confidently, arms outstretched to catch her.
A second later, she passed straight through his grip.
Her body split apart mid-air and slammed into the pavement.
Blood splattered across him.
Homelander froze, staring at the mess, then slowly looked down at the comic in his hand.
"That makes no sense… how did Superman do it?"
He flipped through the pages, muttering to himself.
"This was chosen by Axel. If it doesn't work, then I'm the problem."
He turned another page.
"A cat rescue… that's easy."
He immediately pulled out his phone and called Ashley.
When she answered, his tone was sharp and eager.
"Ashley, I'm already on Chapter Three. Fastest one, right? But I need something set up. The book says an orange cat stuck in a tree. Actually, make it several. No, make it a lot. Make sure they don't run off."
He paused, thinking.
"And if anyone else in the city plans to jump off a building, call me first."
His voice grew intense.
"I will master this. Axel's method cannot be wrong."
He hung up and returned to the comic, studying it with absolute focus.
Soon, the city echoed with the distressed cries of dozens of orange cats.
Back at the plaza, Axel stood before a chaotic crowd and a wall of cameras.
After a few minutes, he lost patience.
He dropped the microphone and smirked.
"Alright, that's enough talking. I just spotted over a hundred cats stuck in trees. Yeah, that sounds like a problem."
He grinned wider.
"Speech's on hold. Hero work calls. Try not to miss me too much."
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