"Hey buddy, mind if I sit here?"
"Fuck off! Don't bother me." A-Train glanced at Ivan, saw a stranger, and snapped.
Ivan ignored him and sat down anyway.
Seeing the guy refuse to leave and actually plant himself right next to him, A-Train's rage boiled over. He whipped his head around, ripped off his goggles, and snarled with a twisted face. "You got a fucking death wish? I already turned one blind idiot like you into roadkill last week."
"You know how nasty she died?" A-Train made an explosion gesture with both hands. "Smashed into fucking meat paste."
Then he started laughing like a maniac.
Ivan stayed ice-cold, even a little amused. He took a slow sip of his cocktail and said calmly, his French accent smooth and sharp, "How does Compound V taste these days? If Homelander finds out you can only run fast because you're pumping that shit into your veins, he'll kick your sorry ass out of The Seven, won't he?"
A-Train's laugh died instantly, like someone had grabbed him by the throat. Panic flashed across his face. His voice turned tight and nervous. "Who the fuck are you? How do you know about that?"
For a second he seriously considered killing Ivan right there to keep him quiet.
"You know how much trouble you caused the company with this mess? PR costs alone are already in the millions." Ivan kept his expression cold, leaned back on the couch, and crossed his legs like he owned the place.
He knew the calmer and more confident he acted, the heavier his words would land.
Sweat was already covering A-Train's forehead. At this point he had zero doubt the guy in front of him was some Vought big shot. The idea of murdering him disappeared in a heartbeat.
"Sir… are you with the Vice President or the President himself?" A-Train asked, suddenly polite as hell.
"You don't need to know that, and you're not qualified to. The higher-ups said they'll let this one slide, but there better not be a next time or you're finished. Oh, and a friendly warning, overuse of Compound V will fuck your heart up real bad."
Ivan pointed at his own chest.
"Here's the deal. Rumors about Compound V creating supes are all over the streets right now. We're hunting down the source. If we find out who's spreading or leaking it, the consequences will be nasty. That person might just vanish without a trace."
The second Ivan stopped talking, A-Train started sweating bullets.
"Please, sir, you have to believe me. Tell the higher-ups it has nothing to do with me. I swear to God!"
"I hope that's true. Because even Jesus won't be able to save your ass if it isn't."
Ivan stood up. "To hide my identity and investigate, I've taken a security job in the company. I need you to push for me to get the deputy head position in the security department. That way I can dig deeper and help clear your name at the same time."
"No problem at all. I'll take care of it immediately." The words had barely left A-Train's mouth when pure terror flashed across his face.
For a split second, Ivan's own face had appeared on the back of his head, staring right at him.
Back at their original couch, Fast stared at Ivan with wide eyes. "You actually know A-Train? Looked like the guy was scared shitless of you."
"You're imagining things. A-Train and I go way back. We're tight."
"Ah, got it. With his help, landing a deputy head spot should be a walk in the park. Cheers to that, my friend."
Ivan's value in Fast's eyes had just tripled. The lawyer raised his glass with obvious respect and a big smile.
...
When they left the bar, night had already fallen.
Ivan stood on the sidewalk, letting the cool evening wind wash over him.
A crushed soda can featuring Homelander's smug face rolled up against his shoe. Ivan didn't even glance down. He just stomped on it hard, flattening it completely.
Then he stared in the direction of Vought Tower and muttered under his breath, "What a massive fucking monster. Would be really nice if that power were mine."
...
In the days that followed…
Ivan and A-Train stepped in front of the cameras together.
Facing the wall of flashing lenses, Ivan stayed ice-cool. One hand gripped the microphone, the other stayed tucked in his pocket.
"As the second eyewitness on the scene, I swear on Jesus Christ that every word I'm about to say is the absolute truth. In this accident, A-Train was also a victim. While I deeply regret what happened to that poor girl, when I found out Vought is paying her family a massive compensation with no strings attached…"
"Honestly, I was really moved. Vought is a company with heart. A company that takes real social responsibility. A company that actually gives a damn. That's why I'm proud as hell to work here."
Because this PR cleanup was critical, Vought Vice President Madeline Stillwell had come in person.
She liked what she heard from Ivan.
She turned to Ashley Barrett, head of Talent Relations and PR. "I heard he's interested in the deputy head job in Security."
"Fast told me. Apparently he knows A-Train too. A-Train came to see me yesterday afternoon pushing for it," Ashley replied, hugging her folder to her chest.
"His statement was perfect. Give it to him. Make the arrangements quickly."
"Yes, ma'am," Ashley nodded right away.
After the press conference wrapped, Ashley met Ivan alone. When she saw him walking in, she stood up, stepped forward, and shook his hand with a wide smile. "Congratulations on becoming the new deputy head of Security. I'll have Al hand everything over to you. You start in one week. We've got the annual shareholder meeting coming up and you'll be running security for the whole thing."
"No problem. I won't disappoint the company."
On his way out of the Talent Relations office, Ivan bumped into his old boss, Al.
Al looked genuinely surprised that Ivan was the one taking his spot, but he still offered his congratulations. In this business, people with pull got whatever they wanted. Even though he was on his way out, Al wasn't stupid enough to make an enemy.
In the days that followed, Ivan spent his time healing the stump of his missing hand and training his new, finer control over every muscle and nerve in his body.
At the same time, Ivan had to get familiar with all the new responsibilities that came with the promotion.
Still, he casually bumped Blitz up the ladder while he was at it. At his level, moving people around like this didn't even need approval from higher-ups. He could decide it himself.
So naturally, Blitz quietly took over all of Ivan's old duties.
After all, Ivan had promised to move him onto Queen Maeve's personal security detail. The second Blitz heard he'd get to be close to his goddess every day, the guy practically skipped over in excitement. He didn't even ask for a raise.
Ivan's right hand had mostly healed. The new talent ability from Goto was already at 88% fusion. By the time the big Vought shareholder meeting rolled around, it should be fully complete.
Ivan flexed his fingers, a cold little smirk tugging at his lips. "Just a few more days…"
___
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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69