"Fuck that! I've had enough!"
Lamplighter clenched his fists, his voice rising with every word as he struggled to hold back the rage boiling inside him. He roared straight at Ivan.
"Calm the fuck down. My name is Greevs, not Edgar. As Vought's vice president I still have that much authority." Ivan laid his right hand on Lamplighter's shoulder. "There's a chance for you to redeem yourself right here. Say yes and you wipe the slate clean on every shitty thing you've done. Even if it doesn't work out, at least you'll sleep a little better.
And if things really go the way you claim, you can dump every confidential file you have online and go scorched-earth with Vought. But before you do that, I suggest you get your family out of the country so you've got nothing holding you back. Think it over."
With that, Ivan walked out of the conference room.
He glanced down at the watch on his wrist. The moment the minute hand advanced five notches, a notification popped up on the display.
[Congratulations, player has significantly altered the original plot and obtained 600 Fantasy Points]
[Current Fantasy Points: 3650]
...
Meanwhile,
Hughie rode the elevator up to floor 42D and found the secret room Lamplighter had mentioned. A Vought security lock sealed the heavy steel door. Without Lamplighter there was no way he could open it.
Lucky for him, he spotted the electrical panel off to the side. He remembered Starlight's power was tied to electricity, so he walked over and flipped every switch upward. The instant the last one clicked, the pitch-black room Starlight was trapped in flooded with light.
It has to be Hughie coming to get me!
Hope slammed into Starlight where only despair had been. She didn't hesitate.
She pulled in every volt of power around her and slammed her full strength into the steel door.
A deafening boom left a deep dent.
Boom! Boom!
She rammed it three more times until the twisted, warped door finally crashed to the floor.
"Starlight!" Their eyes locked.
"Move."
They moved fast enough, and with Homelander and Stormfront both away from Vought Tower, they were out clean in no time.
...
Two days vanished.
Homelander was livid over Starlight's escape.
"If you hadn't stopped me I'd have twisted her fucking head clean off by now!" he snarled at Stormfront.
Stormfront lounged in the stretch Lincoln, completely unbothered. "She ran. So what? Don't forget we already brought her mother in yesterday. Unless she doesn't give a single shit about her mom, she'll crawl right back to Vought."
Ivan, sitting beside them, nodded. "Exactly. Right now we focus on the hearing. We can decide what to do about Starlight once that's over."
"I hear Lamplighter's coming back. That your doing?" Homelander asked.
"Yes. I don't think A-Train belongs on The Seven anymore. His heart's in rough shape." Ivan tapped his own chest. "Latest medical report says it can't handle high-intensity activity. He's one bad sprint away from dropping dead."
"Not bad, Greevs. You finally did something I actually like."
Stormfront was a pure racist. She'd never had a kind word for A-Train, and getting that nigger kicked out of The Seven had been on her wish list for ages. Edgar had always stalled with the "we can't find a replacement" excuse. Now the chance was finally here, and her mood improved right away.
"Your heart… looks like you've got a few extra," Homelander said, eyes locked on Ivan.
"Does it? I'm fine." Ivan's face stayed calm. He turned toward the window. "We're here."
Outside the capitol the street was packed tight with reporters and crowds of Compound V supporters and opponents, all waving different flags and screaming over each other. New York police had pulled in extra units from outside the city just to keep order, but against that sea of bodies it still looked like a drop in the ocean.
"I don't think I've ever asked what your power is."
After they got out, Homelander stood next to Ivan, nodding at the fans while he asked the question under his breath.
"Does it matter? If you're that curious I'll tell you after the hearing."
"Forget it. Just wondering. If you don't want to say, no point." In Homelander's head every other supe was still beneath him. Ivan's power was a little weird, sure, but that was all. He'd seen stranger things. The guy just had some funny organs inside him.
"Mr. Greevs, any comment on the hearing Congresswoman Neuman is holding today? There's talk that evidence extremely damaging to Vought might surface. Anything you'd like to say?"
Reporters from every network crowded both sides of the walkway, held back hard by uniformed cops.
One male reporter with long arms shoved his mic almost into Ivan's mouth.
"I've got nothing to say. Just watch." Ivan pushed the mic aside and walked straight into the chamber.
Homelander and Stormfront followed right behind him.
Ivan gave the room a quick scan. It was packed solid, every seat filled.
The hearing hadn't started yet, so most people were standing around talking. A few major outlets zeroed in on Ivan's group.
"Is Vought CEO Edgar here? What's your take on this hearing?"
"Homelander, do you think the evidence they bring out could hurt you? Public opinion on you has been pretty heated lately. They might try to pin intentional murder on you."
"Ms. Stormfront, ever since you joined The Seven you've been nonstop controversy, and the media keeps flipping on you. Any response?"
The questions kept coming. Homelander and Stormfront looked irritated, but with the official cameras right in their faces they had no choice but to answer politely.
"I don't have much to say. Whatever the result of this hearing, I trust the public will make their own judgment. I also believe this process is completely fair. Vought will accept whatever comes of it."
"Time's up. All non-essential personnel clear the room. The hearing is about to begin."
Victoria leaned into the microphone and formally opened the session.
____
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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69