On her way back to her office, Madelyn noticed that the Equipment Department was swamped with activity. Red River Security was clearly about to make another major move.
What worried her most was that she knew nothing about it. Lately, she had been constantly feeling sidelined—pressure from below and from above alike was pressing down on her until she could barely breathe.
Madelyn was still thinking about how to report the fact that Translucent had been turned into nothing but skin scraps. At the same time, she planned to take advantage of Homelander being out at a fan event to discuss with Stan Edgar how to rein in Homelander's increasingly restless ambitions.
Ring ring~
Stan Edgar's call came in before she could do anything herself.
"This is Stan Edgar."
Before Madelyn could even speak, he had already started issuing a series of instructions.
"Coordinate Red River Security's weapons and equipment requirements. They need some depleted uranium rounds. Also, prepare crisis PR for the full retirement of the G-Men."
"What?"
For a moment, Madelyn could hardly believe what she was hearing. Putting those two orders together, it was obvious that Stan was preparing to move against the G-Men.
And unlike her own approach of applying pressure through public opinion, Stan was clearly planning to solve the G-Men problem once and for all—on a physical level.
"But I just reached an agreement with Professor G..."
By stirring up the #g-too topic about alleged sexual assault by the G-Men on social media, Madelyn had finally forced Professor Godolkin to concede. She had begun to gain the upper hand in the power struggle, compelling him to acknowledge Vought's authority over personnel appointments.
If Stan went through with this, wouldn't all her previous efforts be for nothing?
Stan Edgar, being from the same generation as John Godolkin, naturally understood that men like them did not truly honor agreements.
"Madelyn, don't put too much faith in an old bastard like Godolkin. He's not playing by the same set of rules as you are.
Instead of worrying about that, why don't you first check on the status of that new talent and agent you sent over a few days ago?"
---
Godolkin Academy for Gifted Youth, a few days earlier.
This was not the university run by Vought that merely borrowed Professor Godolkin's name—Godolkin University, where getting in only required good test scores.
Godolkin Institude, on the other hand, was a comprehensive institution founded from scratch by John Godolkin himself, known as Professor G. In the past, only prodigies personally discovered by him were allowed to enter.
These students were almost all marginalized individuals not accepted by mainstream society, including but not limited to LGBTQ people, attack helicopters, Walmart shopping bags, and so on—for example, you. You're gay.
"Wait! I'm not gay!"
Laurie was still completely bewildered. She had clearly come to find Joey—how had she somehow ended up registered as a superhero?
And the person Laurie liked, Joey Joseph Kent, was very obviously male. That meant she definitely wasn't gay!
"Branding! Branding, get it? Every hero needs a persona. Take Nubian Prince, for example—we say he's the heir to some mysterious African nation, but in reality he's just a native-born African American. That thick African accent of his is completely fake!"
The agent Vought had assigned to Laurie was also named Ashley. She was small in stature, but among the best operatives in Vought's field division.
At the moment, dressed in a sharp business suit, she was pushing Laurie forward toward 1407 Graymalkin Lane in Westchester County, New York—a luxurious estate belonging to Professor G, and also the location of Godolkin Institude.
Because of her height, even standing on tiptoe Ashley could only just reach Laurie's shoulder, and the difference in their strength was enormous. The scene was unintentionally comical.
"Don't hesitate. The G-Men are the highest-grossing superhero group in the country. Ordinary heroes would kill for a chance to get in."
Professor Godolkin was standing at the front gate, waiting for Ashley—and Laurie.
"Welcome. The G-Men haven't accepted outsiders in a long time. You're the first. And you're already sixteen—too old."
Laurie might not have fully processed it yet, but Ashley clearly caught the lack of welcome in Professor G's words. She stepped between Laurie and Professor G and shot back sharply.
"After what happened with Nubia and Silver Kincaid, Madelyn thinks you're in urgent need of new blood. That's why she sent me."
Being mocked by someone so young hurt Professor G's pride. He snorted heavily and turned away, leaving only a tall, heavily furred man with a long coat of hair—who looked exactly like Chewbacca from Star Wars—to receive Ashley and Laurie.
"Critter will take you to the guest rooms to rest. We're holding a memorial today. As for the little girl's place in the G-Men, we'll discuss it tomorrow."
"When do I get to see Joey?"
Laurie craned her neck as she followed behind Ashley, glanced at the "Chewbacca" guiding them, and whispered:
"And what's the deal with Nubia and Silver Kincaid you mentioned? That old man seemed really unhappy when he heard their names."
"Nubia is the wife of the Nubian Prince I told you about before. Silver Kincaid was Nubia's close friend. They were both members of the G-Men. And recently—what a coincidence—they both died. Suicide. That's it."
Ashley rattled all of that off in one breath, like someone eating grapes without spitting out the skins, completely overwhelming Lauries. But Laurie still remembered why she'd come in the first place.
"So when can I see Joey?"
"Hey, sis! Can you just follow the process and join the G-Men properly first?"
Ashley was at a loss. Did this girl think Superman was someone you could just meet whenever you wanted?
Did she have any idea how much a single handshake ticket at a Seven members' live event cost?
Sure, Superman didn't interact much with fans and always wore a sour expression on camera—but that face alone was handsome enough to annihilate the hearts of women from age twenty to a hundred nationwide.
She'd seen plenty of dreamers. This was the first time she'd seen one dream this hard.
"Let me ask you this—if you say you're his girlfriend, how come you don't even have his phone number?"
"Y-You-!!!"
Laurie was instantly tongue-tied by Ashley's question. After years of hinting and outright suggesting, she'd still never managed to get Joey's number. Being called out like that made her flush on the spot.
"Say one more word and I'm getting mad!"
Ashley watched as a blush spread across Laurie's cheeks, racing from her ears all the way down her neck. Realizing that pushing further might actually make the girl explode, she quickly switched tactics and offered a sweet consolation.
"Alright, alright. Just stay put here with me for now. Once we're officially planted—uh, I mean, once you officially join the G-Men, I'll file an OA request and apply for you to meet Superman, okay?"
After a lot of coaxing, she finally managed to calm the country girl down. Ashley was then led to the guest rooms on one side of the estate.
Although Professor G was clearly displeased with Vought planting people inside the G-Men, he still made sure the accommodations for Ashley and Laurie were impressive enough to save face. Even Ashley couldn't help but marvel.
"Hardwood floors, velvet curtains, mahogany furniture, oil paintings, down quilts... Professor G really knows how to spend his money properly. Way better than stingy old Vought!"
Laurie didn't have much of a reaction to any of that. She just thought the place was incredibly fancy.
After dismissing the Chewbacca-looking man, Ashley thoroughly searched Laurie's room—inside and out, top to bottom—making sure nothing suspicious was present before finally relaxing.
Before leaving, she solemnly warned Laurie:
"Don't wander around at night. Don't talk to any outsiders. If something sudden happens and it involves you, come find me immediately. If it doesn't involve you, stay in your room and rest."
"Okay." Laurie nodded blankly. Everything that had happened in the past half hour was far too much for a sixteen-year-old country girl who wasn't good at socializing.
Looking at the dazed Laurie, the twisted cunning and thick mask Ashley had developed from years of grinding it out at Vought couldn't help but soften, revealing a trace of genuine concern.
"Don't be nervous. You're about to become a member of the G-Men—the most profitable superhero group there is. Everyone's a millionaire. The two of us are going to make a fortune!"
"Get a good night's sleep. Just watch how I handle that old bastard Godolkin tomorrow!"