A/N: I know, I know, I completely changed Sage Grove Center in favor of Smith's Grove from the Halloween movies, and that's for multiple reasons. First off, it connects a bit more to Allyson and Michael's arc. Second, the other reason the Boys will be going cross country is because of Homelander riling everyone up with that live video he sent out.
Speaking of, there will be a couple scenes that actually show people trying to capture the Boys. Or rather, they find Frank, and attempt to coerce him to tell them where the rest of them are.
Oh, also, some of the characters, particularly Dredd and Michael Myers, are potentially going to get even more OOC as the chapters progress than they already are. Just a forewarning.
Lastly, Lamplighter won't be in this fic at all. I have another character replacing him. One that Diggle is familiar with.
For several long minutes, the Boys, Anderson, and Michael stood there in silence, until Diggle found his voice.
"You brought Black Noir here?!" Dig yelled angrily. "He's chipped!"
"I seem to recall you set up precautions so the chip wouldn't be tracked here." Dredd told him gruffly. "Besides, he destroyed it."
"And who's she?" Dax asked, nodding towards Anderson.
"Judge Cassandra Anderson." Anderson introduced herself. "I've worked with Dredd before."
"You're a psychic, yeah?" Frank asked, recalling her reading his mind in the van. "Think you can read Myers here, find anything useful?"
"Sure." Anderson looked towards Michael, and closed her eyes.
"Okay, he's strapped down, with some kind of blue fluid being pumped into him…"
"Compound V." Dredd grunted. "Anything else?"
"There's a doctor with him. The badge reads Terrence Wynn." Anderson continued.
"We already know that." Diggle groaned.
"Wait, a woman is walking in with Wynn." Anderson told them. "She's introducing herself as Madelyn Stillwell. She's saying that his name is Black Noir, and that he'll be a deterrent for Homelander, should he go rogue."
Beneath his helmet, Dredd let out a tight smile, as Anderson opened her eyes.
"Who's Homelander?"
"The creep who was on that tv a minute ago." Dredd muttered.
"But if Michael is supposed to be a deterrent…" Frank's voice trailed off.
"Then we have our ace in the hole." Dredd finished.
Frank's cell phone suddenly went off, and he pressed the call button.
"Frank, are you there?" Annie's voice could be heard from the other end.
"Yeah kid, I'm here." Castle murmured. "I thought we agreed we can't do this anymore."
"I know, but I need your help." Annie continued. "I have a lead on Stormfront, but I need to get my chip out."
"Okay. We'll think of something." Frank promised. "You remember where I lived?"
"How can I not? It's one of the first places Homelander had us search for you."
"Good. Go there." Frank ordered, before shutting off his phone. "Myers, I'm going to need assistance."
Michael stared blankly over at Castle.
"Someone needs their chip removed." Frank said bluntly. Deep down, he knew he should be disgusted for working with a serial killer. But as Dredd had said earlier, there are greater priorities. Fuck, how far were they willing to go, to ally with Michael fucking Myers?
Michael didn't say anything, though he did walk towards Castle. He needed to make sure Allyson was alright, but that could wait for now.
"Hold on a minute!" Dax called out, running over to Myers and handing him a large, dark brown coat and hoodie.
"So no one recognizes you."
Michael looked towards Dax with the same expressionless mask, but nevertheless placed the coat over his shoulders, threw the hood over his head, and zipped it up, obscuring his battle armor. Frank nodded, as he zipped up his own hoodie to hide his skull vest underneath.
"Take the buick." Diggle suggested, grabbing a set of car keys from the monitors and tossing them to Frank. The Punisher easily caught them, gave a firm nod, and he and Michael entered the brown car, parked next to the black van. The rest of the Boys watched, as the headlights turned on, and the car drove off with a screech.
Half an hour later, Frank and Michael arrived at the Castle residence, with Annie waiting for them.
"You brought a friend?" Annie asked, confused.
"Friend of yours too." Frank shrugged, opening the already unlocked door. The trio went inside, where Annie took off her blue jacket. Michael approached her, and held out his hand.
"What's he going to do?" Annie asked, nervous.
"Hey, it's okay." Frank told her. "He already took out his own earlier today."
"What do you mean-"
Annie stopped, remembering what Homelander had said in his statement to the news.
"Black Noir?"
Michael slowly nodded, as he reached for her shoulder, digging his fingers into her bulletproof skin. Annie winced in pain, as Myers drew blood, and eventually dug the tube shaped chip out.
"Thanks." Annie said weakly, while Michael grabbed the other end of the chip and snapped it in two.
"Why'd you need it taken out?" Frank asked. "Now they'll know you're helping us out."
"Stormfront already knows I leaked the Compound V, and apparently she has plans for me." Annie confessed. "I needed it out so they couldn't track me."
"Fair enough." Frank murmured, and he began making his way out the door. He paused for a moment, turning his head to stare at a piano across the room, and wore a small smile.
"What is it?" Annie asked, following his eyes.
"Nothing, just..." Frank's smile grew a tiny bit more. "My boy, Frank Junior. He'd hide cookies in that piano bench there. Play soldier, guard it like his own private fort. Some mornings we'd find him still there, curled up on top of a pile of cookie crumbs."
"I'd... I would do the same." Annie grinned. "Snacks and desserts were taboo in my house, so I'd hide cookies in my top drawer."
Annie smiled at the memory, and let out a small laugh. Frank's smile vanished as quick as it appeared, and the determined look reignited in his eyes. Castle walked outside, with Annie and Michael following, and were about to get in the car, when six men approached them. Some had hooded jackets. Some of them sported beards. All were armed.
"You assholes lost?" Frank asked, unzipping his jacket to reveal his bloodied skull vest.
"Yeah, we were looking for five million dollars." the leader, a man in a leather jacket and having a blonde goatee, laughed. "But where's the other twenty?"
Castle narrowed his eyes in confusion, until it hit him.
"Homelander put up a bounty." The Punisher grimaced.
"Actually, Vought did shortly after his video." the leader shrugged. "Doesn't matter. We'll still get paid-"
Frank whipped out his pistol, shooting three of the men with headshots. Michael pulled out two throwing knives and flung them with deadly precision, hitting two more between the eyes. The final bounty hunter, the leader, stood there in shock, before Castle fired two more bullets. Two in the chest, execution style.
"We gotta go. Now." Frank declared, ushering Annie and Michael into the car. Once the trio were in, Frank started the engine, and drove away from his former home.
Music: "Passive" by A Perfect Circle
Allyson walked into the hideout, where Dax was the first one to notice her.
"Come back, huh?" Dax asked sarcastically. "Got tired of being that monster?"
"Fuck off." Allyson muttered, while flipping him the bird. Dax scowled, and her eyes wandered towards Dredd and a woman with strawberry blonde hair, who was wearing a similar uniform to the leader of the Boys, and they were staring at the corner television. As she made her way over, she noticed Dredd was eating noodles with chopsticks, while keeping his helmet on.
"I thought you said synthi-noodles was for fatties." the woman commented.
"Not synthetic, and it tastes better here." Dredd mumbled.
"You've changed, Dredd." the woman continued. "What happened to you?"
"You're the psychic, Anderson." Dredd pointed out. "This city changed me."
Allyson looked towards the television, which showed Stormfront and Homelander being interviewed for Dawn of the Seven. Apparently, the interview was a midnight exclusive.
"Let's be real, who is the biggest prankster on set?" one of the interviewers asked.
"Whoa, we really shouldn't get into that." Homelander laughed.
"I mean, he's right, but Black Noir can pull a pretty good prank…" Stormfront giggled, as she rested her hand on Homelander's lap.
Allyson wrinkled her nose in disgust. Michael would never play a stupid prank. Whatsmore, Stormfront sounded like a high school teenager when she laughed.
"They're fucking."
Dredd and Anderson looked at Allyson, with Joseph slowly nodding.
"Perceptive."
At the monitors, Diggle kept staring at a picture of his wife and children, until the car returned, with Frank, Michael, and Annie getting out.
"Did you get her chip out?" Diggle quickly asked.
"It's fine." Frank reassured everyone, while Annie looked around.
"This is where you're all living?"
"You get used to it after a while." Diggle wore a mirthless smile. "Had to live in a similar bunker after I was branded a war criminal."
Allyson suddenly approached the three of them, staring at Michael with a blank expression.
"Michael?"
Myers stared at her with the same blank stare, as she slowly walked towards him. Once they were in reaching distance, Allyson threw her arms around him, wrapping him tightly in a hug.
"You're back." Allyson whispered, pulling away and smiling up at him. Michael nodded, and Nelson looked towards Annie, who wore a stunned expression.
"Do you… remember me?"
Allyson nodded, and flashed a smile.
"I do." she said happily. "You helped us escape Vought's facility."
Michael looked towards Annie as well, his black eyes having a slight glint in them.
"Starlight."
Dredd walked over to Frank and Annie, sizing her up.
"You look well."
"Who are you?" Annie asked, confused.
"Dredd. Street Judge."
"He used to go by Butcher." Frank added.
"Oh, so you're the one who pumped two .50 caliber rounds into my chest." Annie glared at Dredd.
"You got better." Dredd muttered, before turning to Frank. "Why'd you bring her here, Castle?"
"She has a lead on Stormfront."
"I broke into her laptop, and she has a lot of messages from Stan Edgar." Annie revealed.
"The President of Vought." Dredd noted. "And what were they talking about?"
"They kept mentioning that they were close to a breakthrough at Smith's Grove."
"Smith's Grove?" Allyson asked, her eyes widening. She looked towards Michael, and a moment of understanding passed between them.
"You know that place?" Annie inquired.
"Smith's Grove Sanitarium was where they kept Michael locked up for over fifty years." Allyson explained. "But… if they're working with Vought…"
Suddenly, everything was starting to make sense. That doctor, Terrence Wynn. The man in the costume store she killed, before meeting Cameron again. The fact that Michael Myers was Black Noir, for fuck's sake.
"Sounds like we need to make an appointment with the kook cubes." Anderson declared.
"The what?" Diggle asked.
"She meant the loony bin." Dredd growled, as they all began piling into the van. Frank was about to start the engine, when he felt a hand clamp on his shoulder. The Punisher swiveled his head, finding himself staring into Michael's black eyes.
"What is it, Myers?"
Allyson entered Frank's view as well, staring at them both.
"He needs to see an old friend before we go." Allyson told him.
"The fuck for?" Castle asked.
"Information." Allyson explained. "There's something we're trying to figure out with all this, and Michael's friend might know."
Frank groaned, but he moved towards the passenger seat. Michael climbed into the driver's side, with Allyson riding in the back, and the van took off out of the hideout.
Music: "Burn" by Cody Crump
Becca sat in her bedroom, the metal box lined with zinc resting on her lap. With shaking hands, she opened the lid, and pulled out the gun that her husband told her was the Lawgiver. She didn't touch it, after shooting Homelander. She didn't want to, but it was like something was calling her to pick it up.
As Becca's fingers coiled around the grip of the pistol, she turned the barrel over, seeing the display screen light up blue.
DNA Check…
ID Okay.
Becca slowly moved the gun's muzzle until it was underneath her chin, and rested it against her Adam's apple. She stared down at the box, seeing a picture of herself and Billy together.
I'm sorry Billy. Becca thought.
"Hi Ex."
The gun made a humming noise, with the abbreviation lighting up on the display screen, showing she had ten rounds left. Becca squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the flow of tears.
"I'm so sorry…"
"MOM!"
Becca's eyes snapped open, and she looked down at the floor, hearing her son's voice carrying from downstairs.
"Mom, where are you?"
"I'm coming Ryan!" Becca called out. She looked back at the Lawgiver, before shoving it in the box and tossing it into her closet. What was she thinking? She couldn't kill herself. Not now, not ever. Ryan needed her, and Billy was still out there.
Becca sighed from the stress, and slowly made her way downstairs, wondering what he needed her for. Or maybe he was just looking for her. Whatever the case, he just stopped her from making the biggest mistake of her life.
McDowell, Illinois
Thirteen Hours Later
"The manhunt for Billy Butcher, John Diggle, Frank Castle, and his unnamed companions is still active, but it appears that citizens are now joining in-"
Ismael Cruz groaned, before shutting off the television. This was the same broadcast on the last three channels. Sure, the individuals mentioned were criminals and murderers, but did it have to be on every screen? It wasn't like the so-called 'heroes' they went after were squeaky clean to begin with.
Ismael sighed, as his living room was bathed in darkness. God, if only everyone knew half of what he did about these supes…
The older man suddenly bolted out of his arm chair, hearing a heavy knocking at the door. It was slow, but also commanding, and Ismael quickly ran to the door. He stared out the window, and his eyes widened, seeing none other than Black Noir staring back at him.
Ismael immediately turned the lights on and opened the door, staring at the supe in a mixture of shock and curiosity.
"Black Noir." Ismael slightly gasped. "I thought the news reported you were kidnapped-"
Black Noir walked inside, where he was followed by several other people. A few he instantly recognized as Frank Castle, Diggle, and the unnamed companions the news mentioned. However, there were two others with them, who wore similar uniforms. The uniforms in question looked similar to police or riot armor, with golden shoulder pads, and triangular badges. One of them wore a black and red helmet over his face, while the other let her red strawberry blonde hair reach her shoulders. The man with the helmet's badge read Dredd, while the woman's said Anderson on it.
Ismael's eyes looked straight at the young woman wearing the black jacket, with her light brown hair hanging loosely past her shoulders. Odd, Cruz seemed to recognize her from a news broadcast last year. Something about her being kidnapped. What was her name…
Cruz flinched, as the memory of Laurie Strode's family came back to him.
"Allyson Nelson?" Ismael asked, his eyes widening slightly.
"You know me?" the young woman frowned.
"I heard about your kidnapping last year on the news." Ismael explained. "I'm sorry about your grandmother. And your parents. I thought you died with them."
"That's what Vought made up to keep anyone from looking for me." Allyson muttered. Ismael nodded, and looked towards Frank and Diggle.
"Frank Castle. John Diggle." Ismael noted, nodding in their direction. "Ismael Cruz. From one soldier to another, you two have my respect."
"You served?" Frank asked.
"Nam, 20th Infantry Regiment." Cruz said proudly. "Who are your friends… Dredd and Anderson?"
"We're Judges from Mega City One." Anderson told him. Upon seeing Ismael's confused expression, she added, "Not from around here."
Ismael slowly nodded, before pointing to Black Noir.
"Did you really kidnap him?"
Black Noir said nothing, while bringing his hands up to his face. He slowly pulled his mask off, revealing his bald head with a thin white beard. His face was blank and expressionless, and his eyes were a dark black, even with the lights on. Ismael's eyes widened even more. He knew that blank face with black eyes anywhere.
"Mikey?" Ismael gasped. "You're Black Noir?"
"Vought had him pumped full of Compound V before having Doctor Wynn brainwash him." Allyson revealed. "He tried to do the same to me."
Ismael stumbled backwards, miraculously sinking back into his armchair, and held his head in his hands.
"Oh God, I should've told them what they were doing…" Ismael mumbled. "God, I should've said something."
"The fuck are you talking about?" the man with blonde hair and boyish looks, named Dax, asked.
"I was a janitor at Smith's Grove." Ismael revealed. "Honestly, I was probably the only one there who treated Mikey like an actual human being… but a few times when I was mopping the floors, I would see the doctors inject Mikey with some kind of drug. I used to assume it was a sedative, until he broke out…"
"How long have you known?" Dredd asked in an authoritative voice.
"I had my suspicions, since Mikey's first massacre in '78." Ismael ruefully smiled. "I guess you put my driving lessons to good use, huh?"
From where he sat, he almost saw a small flicker of happiness on Michael's face. Or was it amusement? It didn't matter, as in an instant, it morphed back into the same blank expression.
"Yeah, I always thought that Mikey broke himself out." Ismael continued, looking tiredly at Michael. "Guess we now know who really set him loose."
"Wynn." Allyson realized. "Or Vought."
Ismael nodded.
"Did Loomis know?"
"Not until it was too late." Ismael murmured. "He knew I was only one who was good to Mikey, and he'd sometimes talk with me. He mentioned that he shot Mikey six times, all of them killshots, but somehow he was still alive. Wynn wouldn't say anything, so Sam took it upon himself to look into it on his own. It wasn't until the summer of '79, when a woman looking exactly like that Liberty supe was admitted, when we both realized Wynn and Smith's Grove were hiding something. Then in early October, 1995, he told me that Smith's Grove was experimenting on their patients, using some drug called Compound V."
Allyson looked worriedly to Michael, then towards the Boys, as the pieces of the puzzle were all coming together. She remembered she once purchased his book, The Devil's Eyes, and how he went on and on about how Michael was pure evil. Now, she wondered if Vought had forced him to write that, or if Loomis even wrote it at all.
"The next day, Sam was found in his home in the suburbs, his body cut in half, with scorch marks on the wall." Ismael told everyone. "I suspected it was a supe, but Vought strong-armed me into keeping my mouth shut."
Allyson frowned, thinking of one important detail in Ismael's story.
"I don't understand. My grandmother never mentioned anything about Vought when Michael attacked her in 1978. I didn't know they were involved three years ago."
"She wouldn't have, because nobody knows that Smith's Grove works for them." Ismael explained. "That's how they remove themselves from accountability if any of their patients go rogue like Michael."
"What do you mean?" Dredd inquired.
"My best guess is that Wynn sent out Michael to test what he could do." Ismael shrugged. "He freed all the other prisoners to cover it up."
Michael slightly nodded, before Cruz continued.
"As people say, the rest was history." Ismael sighed. "Mikey goes out and kills some people, he eventually gets apprehended and returned to Smith's Grove, and no one ever knows that Vought was involved. They never do."
"Wait." Anderson stepped back, blinking in surprise. "'They never do'?"
"I've done my own digging after retiring in 2007." Ismael sighed, taking off his glasses and stroking his white mustache and beard. "Smith's Grove isn't the only institute or prison that Vought's got their fingers in."
"Do you know how many they're using?" Frank asked, almost in a desperate order.
"I don't." Ismael muttered. "But I do know that they're all over the country. Arkham Asylum, Ravencroft, Harrogate, Lochmoor, Milbury, Westin Hills, Unger, Iron Heights, and Slabside, just to name a few. Hell, their reach might extend to Ravenscar and Rutledge, all the way in England."
"Drokk." Dredd commented. "They're fronts to grow more supe terrorists."
Ismael nodded sadly.
"When I heard Mikey escaped a few years ago, I was happy for him." Cruz revealed, surprising everyone, even Michael. "Happy, that Vought wouldn't be able to hurt him again… but I guess they still won."
The old man pointed to Michael, indicating his Black Noir suit.
"No." Allyson declared. "Vought hasn't won. We're going to expose them, and burn them to the ground."
"How?" Ismael pointed out. "You already told the whole world about Compound V, and they were able to spin that into a good thing."
"Then we'll start at Smith's Grove." Dredd decided, half reminding everyone the reason they were in Illinois to begin with, and he began walking out. Frank, Diggle, Dax, and Anderson soon followed, leaving Allyson and Michael in the home.
"Hey, Mikey-"
Michael turned back to Ismael who had a sad look in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, for what they did to you." Ismael apologized. "And I'm sorry for never speaking up."
Michael looked back at Allyson, and they stared long and hard at each other. Somehow, she knew what he wanted to say.
"It wasn't your fault." Allyson said softly. "If you said anything, you would have ended up like Loomis."
Ismael silently nodded, and watched as Michael and Allyson left his house, joining the rest of the Boys outside.
Homelander and Stormfront walked on set of Dawn of the Seven, where they were still talking about last night.
"So, according to Ashley, Starlight was last tracked over at Frank Castle's house." Homelander noted. "Think we should take a look?"
"Mmm… nah." Stormfront said playfully. "They're long gone by now."
"Yeah, that's true." Homelander shrugged, as they got closer to his trailer. "Hey, I got something to show you."
"Later." Stormfront promised, checking her phone. "I have to fly by Smith's Grove."
"Now?" Homelander frowned.
"Well, it is almost noon."
Homelander dramatically sighed, and reluctantly nodded.
"Okay, go ahead." Homelander pouted. "But they'd better have gotten it right this time."
Stormfront winked at the leader of the Seven and walked off, leaving Homelander standing just outside his trailer.
Music: "Let Me Live, Let Me Die" by Des Rocs
"Smith's Grove Sanitarium. A subsidiary that's supposed to help the mentally insane." Diggle listed off, reading from an article Felicity had sent him. "Michael Myers had been sent there in 1963 after killing his sister, broke out in 78, then again in 2018."
"And Vought's their behind the scenes benefactor." Frank muttered, setting up his sniper rifle on top of the van. On the ground, Diggle, Allyson, and Dax put on orderly uniforms, while Michael wore an old patient getup.
Allyson finished tying her hair back in a ponytail, and took out a large Bowie knife. She stared into the blade, as Dax suddenly approached her.
"That's what you spent the money on?" Dax raised an eyebrow.
"It's not for me." Allyson rolled her eyes, as she handed the knife over to Michael.
"I should go with them." Annie announced.
"They have Myers with them." Dredd told her. "They'll be fine. Just get them in, and come back here."
"Kid, what if someone notices you there?" Frank added. Starlight formed her mouth in a tight line, but reluctantly walked up to the chain link fence, used her powers to blow a hole open, and began walking back.
"I still can't believe you're working with a serial killer, Dredd." Anderson noted. "Back in Mega City One, you wouldn't have compromised with perps. No negotiations-"
"This isn't Mega City One, Anderson." Dredd snapped. "Right now, Michael Myers isn't my priority-"
"Sir, with all due respect, this isn't loitering versus murder." Anderson retorted, calling back to when they were trapped in Peach Trees.
"Correct. It's about a serial killer versus a supe who can destroy the entire world." Dredd growled.
"This 'supe'... Homelander." Anderson realized. "What did he do to you?"
"Not to me…" Dredd murmured softly. "You can stop digging now, Anderson."
"Dredd, when I looked into your mind, I saw anger and control." Anderson reminded her mentor. "But I looked past it, and I saw-"
"What you saw was a lie, Anderson." Dredd snarled, just as Annie got back. Frank promptly got up from his sniping position, and handed Dredd the rifle.
"Here." Annie said, offering her hand. Frank carefully took it, and jumped down.
"Thanks kid." Castle nodded in her direction, before turning to Dredd and Anderson. "You two gonna keep going at it?"
"I didn't hear you speak up, Castle." Dredd muttered.
"And I didn't know I'd have to babysit you both." Frank shot back. Before either Judges could respond, a roaring noise echoed throughout the area. Castle frowned, as it almost sounded like someone flying.
Dredd looked up, just in time to see a black figure zoom past them and touch down next to the sanitorium entrance. Anderson handed her mentor a pair of advanced binoculars, and he zoomed in to see Stormfront walk through the front doors.
"Drokk!" Dredd yelled, turning to the Punisher.
"Castle, call them, now!"
Diggle, Allyson, Dax, and Michael made their way through the halls of Smith's Grove, where they noticed a gurney pushed up against the wall. Allyson smiled, getting an idea, and tugged on Michael's arm. Myers looked down at her, and she pointed to the gurney.
"I have an idea."
Diggle and Dax looked towards the pair, then at the gurney.
"Good plan." Diggle complimented, as Michael quickly laid on top of the bed on wheels. Dax threw a blanket over him, and the three wheeled Michael down the halls and towards the security room.
Once the Boys got to the security door, Diggle began bashing his fist against it, until the guard finally approached the window.
"We need help here!" Diggle shouted.
"What's the problem?" the guard asked.
"The patient's trying to swallow his own tongue! Open the damn door!" Diggle yelled, pointing to Michael. The guard quickly opened the door, and rushed to Michael's side, where his eyes widened in shock.
"Isn't that Michael-"
Myers sat up from the gurney, grabbing the guard's neck and stabbed him in the chest with the knife Allyson gave him. The Boys wheeled the gurney in, where Diggle relocked the door, and Allyson ripped the security camera out that was bolted to the ceiling.
"Holy shit." Dax murmured, eyeing the monitors. Allyson, Michael, and Diggle stared at the screens as well, seeing at least twenty different patients with superpowers. One person could apparently vomit acid. Another could punch holes in walls with their bare hands. A third supe, a bald girl, stared into the camera, making Diggle and Dax recoil in nervousness.
"So it's true." Allyson whispered, calling back to what Ismael said. "Vought's experimenting on the patients with Compound V."
Diggle enlarged one of the security cameras, showing two people enter a cell. One of them had an orderly uniform on and was wearing an eyepatch. Diggle frowned, seeming to recognize him. The other…
"Stormfront's here?" Dax blurted out, seeing the eyepatch orderly wheel in a cart with medium sized balls. Allyson suddenly began hyperventilating, to the worry of Dax.
"Hey, Allyson, it's okay-" Dax tried to place his hand on her shoulder, but she quickly slapped him away. It wasn't until Michael gently turned her towards him and looked her in the eye, did she finally calm down.
"Tim, how are we today?" Stormfront asked, as the patient levitated the objects with his mind.
"I'm okay."
"No headaches?"
"No?"
"Then I think we're making progress here." Stormfront smiled, before turning to the man with the eyepatch.
"Kill him."
The eye patch wearing patient opened his mouth, and flames spewed out, engulfing Tim. The patient screamed, flailing his arms around, until his body collapsed on the ground.
"Holy shit, it's Lamplighter!" Dax yelled.
"Mallory killed Lamplighter, Dax." Diggle reminded him.
"Then who's that?" Dax asked frantically.
Their question was answered, when the man looked up towards the camera, and Diggle got a full look of his face. His heart skipped a beat, seeing the eyepatch, as well as a grizzled black beard.
"Deathstroke."
"I thought he was supposed to be locked up in an ARGUS prison." Dax said.
"Yeah, on Lian Yu." Diggle agreed. "Not sure where he got the ability to breathe fire either, but we need to stick to the plan."
Allyson and Dax quickly ripped out the hard drives of the security server and placed them under the gurney, before Michael laid himself back on top. Just then, Diggle's phone began ringing, and he quickly answered.
"Guys, Stormfront is here." Frank's voice could be heard.
"A little late, Castle." Dig muttered. "And she's not the only one."
"Better late than never, she just left." Frank responded. "Get the Hell out of there."
The four of them wheeled out of the security office, trying their best to keep a low profile, until Diggle noticed Slade Wilson, Deathstroke himself, walking down the hall.
"You son of a bitch!" Diggle yelled, charging Slade and slamming him against a wall. Slade opened his mouth, and John turned his head to the side, causing the fire to burn down one of the patient's doors.
"What the Hell are you doing-"
"Stop!" Allyson shouted, pointing to the cell door that just got burned. Slade and Diggle turned towards the cell, seeing a bald woman step out.
"Hey, kid." Slade nervously smiled. "Let's keep it frosty, yeah?"
The girl, named Cindy, stared blankly at Slade and Diggle, then to Allyson, Dax, and Michael. Unconsciously, Diggle let go of Slade, and backed up.
"Who are your friends?"
"Oh, we're not his friends." Diggle told her. "Go ahead, kick his ass."
"You're dressed like his friends." Cindy said blankly. "I don't like liars."
Diggle gulped out of nervousness, with Allyson, Michael, and Dax staring towards the girl. Before anyone could do anything, a security guard turned the corner, and fired an automatic rifle right at the girl's back. Cindy barely flinched, and turned around, holding up her hand. The Boys and Slade watched, as her fist clenched, and the guard imploded in a shower of blood.
Music: "Street Shootout" from the Punisher Season 2 OST
"Shit…" Dig murmured, as Cindy turned towards them. "Let's get out of here!"
The Boys, Slade, and Michael quickly hurried out of the halls, sparing a glance to see Cindy crush all the other cell doors and free the other supes. Slade was the first to reach the security office, and after inputting the code, the Boys slammed into him, sending him to the floor.
"Get off me!" Wilson growled, as Allyson locked the door.
"Not until you tell us what you're doing here, Slade!" Diggle shouted. "You're supposed to be on Lian Yu!"
"I was until a couple years ago." Slade explained. "Vought found me, took me here, and drained the Mirakuru from my blood."
Dax got up and stared at the monitors, seeing supes using a variety of powers to kill the guards.
"What the fuck is going on?" the mercenary murmured.
"Lockdown." Slade answered. "No one's getting in or out. Not even her."
"Look, Slade." Diggle crouched low, and looked Deathstroke in the eye. "We need your help to get out of here. Is there an access code?"
"Yeah, at the front door." Slade told them. "But why should I tell you, or let you go with me?"
"Because in case you haven't noticed, this place is crawling with supes who want your head on a platter." Dax shrugged.
"You can burn us, but they're supes too." Diggle added, pointing towards Allyson and Michael. "All you're going to do is piss them off."
"I'll take my chances, Mister Diggle." Slade scoffed. Just then, a patient burst through the door, vomiting acid. Dax and Diggle dove out of the way, while Slade took the acid to the shoulder. The patient was about to vomit again, but Allyson grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and threw him to the floor, before stomping on his stomach. The patient's vomit flew upward, and landed right inn his face. The patient screamed in agony, as his own acidic spit ate through his face, until there was nothing left but a bloodied skull.
"Okay." Slade nodded towards the Boys. "You lot can follow me out."
Dredd stared through his binoculars, just in time to see a guard's body get ripped to shreds, with his blood coating a window.
"Fuck." Frank mumbled, while trying to call Diggle. The entire time, Annie watched him nervously.
"Dig, pick up dammit."
"Dredd-"
Joseph lowered his binoculars, seeing Anderson point behind him. Dredd turned around, seeing a man with a thin beard and a white shirt standing a few feet away from the van.
"Nothing to see here, citizen." Dredd said in a commanding voice, while Annie joined the Judges.
"I just don't want them to hurt me anymore." the man stammered out.
"Dredd… he's scared." Anderson whispered, having read the man's mind. Suddenly, the man sent out a shockwave, throwing the Judges and Starlight to the ground, as well as overturning the van. The vehicle rolled across the ground, before stopping when it was back upright.
The patient was about to let loose another shockwave, when two bullets struck him in the chest, with a third penetrating his skull. Dredd looked back to the truck, seeing Frank leaning against the van door, a smoking pistol in his hands.
"Jesus, Frank!" Annie cried out, running towards him. Frank looked down, seeing a sharp piece of metal sticking out of his side.
"Fuck…" Frank murmured, grabbing the jagged edge and slowly pulled it out of his stomach. The moment the metal was removed, he collapsed on the ground, where Dredd, Anderson, and Annie crowded around him.
"Can you cauterize it?" Dredd asked Annie, once he had ripped the Punisher's vest off. Starlight held her hands out, concentrating, but they wouldn't light up.
"He must have fried the electronics when he sent the shockwave!" Annie grit her teeth, nudging her hand back towards the patient Frank killed.
"Then this will have to do." Anderson told them, opening her medkit and pulling out a small metal tube. A pink ooze was squeezed out out Castle's gash, burning the wound, and Anderson proceeded to take out a small staple gun. She stapled Frank's wound five times, and Annie watched in surprise, as the threads closed themselves up.
"What was that?" Annie asked with curiosity.
"Basic field dress." Anderson answered, as she and Dredd began dragging Castle by his shoulders.
"That won't hold forever." Dredd stated. "He needs medical attention."
"What about the others?" Annie asked.
"They're on their own for now." Dredd said grimly.
Stormfront entered Homelander's trailer, seeing a bouquet of flowers on the counter. She smiled sweetly, and turned around, just in time to see Homelander looking at her.
"You like them?" Homelander grinned.
"They're beautiful." Stormfront smiled. "Thank you."
"How'd your meeting go?" Homelander asked, as he pushed her towards the couch.
"It was great." Stormfront began undoing the pants of her suit. "They're no longer experiencing headaches, or other symptoms."
"Good." Homelander wore a sinister smile. As he pulled down his pants as well, he continued speaking.
"Then everything is going to plan."
"This way." Slade ordered, leading the Boys through the darkened halls. Every so often, they'd pass a guard, either burned, or mauled beyond recognition. The sights made Diggle want to throw up, but still, they trekked on.
The group eventually reached the hospital's pharmacy, where Slade inputted the code and ushered everyone in. Once they were inside, Slade locked the door, and Diggle walked up to him.
"What's going on here, Slade?" John inquired. "They're pumping these people full of Compound V, just to burn them?"
"They're covering their tracks." Slade told him. "Make sure it doesn't come back to them."
"Man, I thought STAR Labs made a cure for the Mirakuru." Diggle folded his arms.
"They did." Wilson confirmed. "But there were still trace amounts in my bloodstream."
"How do you have the powers of Lamplighter?" Dax asked. "I watched Mallory put a bullet in his head!"
"They found a way to harvest his DNA and inject me with it." Wilson grumbled. "They needed someone to burn the evidence of what they're doing here."
"And what's that?" Allyson asked angrily. "Creating more super terrorists? Experimenting on kids, like with Michael?"
"No." Slade shook his head. "They're trying to figure out how to stabilize Compound V and inject adults with it. I was one of their first test subjects, aside from Myers."
"Why would they be testing adults?" Diggle asked. "Why not just kids like they've already done?"
"Because some parents refuse to Vought." Wilson told everyone. "You know how much easier it is to kidnap an adult than a child?"
"Yeah." Allyson nodded. She knew exactly what that was like. Dax looked at her with pity, before seeing Michael walk towards her. She looked up at Myers, a reassuring smile playing on her face.
Dax sighed to himself. Maybe he shouldn't have tried to control what she did. Maybe he should have let her decide what she wanted to do with her life, after helping her escape captivity.
"In addition to that, Vought's planning something." Slade added. "I'm not sure what it is yet though."
"How big?" Dax inquired.
"Big enough for Stormfront to visit every few hours." Wilson said snidely.
"What do you mean to stabilize it?" Diggle asked.
"You've seen what happens when fully grown adults are injected, right?" Slade told him. "Sometimes they get powers, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they just explode. They're trying to figure out how to give it to anyone, and have a guaranteed supe with powers."
Annie stood in the middle of the road, flagging down a silver Honda. The car stopped, and she went to the passenger side window, seeing a man with black hair and a suit on.
"Sir, I'm so sorry, but I need to borrow your car." Annie said frantically.
"What's the problem?" the man asked, stepping out of the car.
Annie heard a noise behind her, and she turned around to see Dredd and Anderson dragging Frank towards them.
"Is that…" the man squinted, just barely recognizing Frank's face. "The Punisher?"
"Please, we need help!" Annie nearly shouted.
"If anything, I'll be turning you all in to the authorities!" the man yelled, pulling out a gun and aiming it at Castle's head.
"Put. The gun. Down." Annie said in a low voice.
"Hell no. I'm not giving my car to any of you-"
Annie's eyes suddenly lit up, and she instinctively blasted the man with a beam of light. The guy in the seat, flew over the side of the car and hit his head on the road, where blood began to pool underneath him.
"Drokk." Dredd grit his teeth. He didn't pause though, and he and Anderson placed Frank in the back of the car. Annie got into the back seat with Castle, and looked him over.
"You could have waited." Starlight said angrily.
"We're running out of time." Dredd told her, as he and Anderson got into the car. Dredd turned the keys in the ignition, starting the car and driving down the road.
Dax broke into the pharmaceutical cabinet, taking out all sorts of drugs and pills.
"What are you doing?" Allyson asked, while Michael stared at him.
"Creating a knockout gas. Potent on anyone… even supes." Dax told her. "Listen, that stuff I said back at the hideout, and the church…"
"It's fine." Allyson said sadly. She cast her eyes downward, squeezing her eyes shut. "I already know I'm a monster."
Dax wanted to desperately tell her she was wrong, but after remembering the last time they had that particular conversation, he stayed silent, and continued working on the gas.
Diggle exhaled through his nose, while glaring at Slade. It didn't go unnoticed by the former assassin.
"What do you want, Diggle?" Wilson asked, returning the glare.
"I thought you changed when you helped Oliver rescue his son." Diggle scoffed. "But seeing you here, working with Stormfront, killing the other patients, you're still the man who tried to kill Oliver's mother."
"I regret what I did to the kid." Slade murmured. "There's no excuse for it. Not even with the timeline changed."
"You knew?" Diggle stepped back in surprise.
"That Crisis changed what I did? Yeah." Slade nodded. "Your alien friend stopped by once, at the request of Mister Allen. But that doesn't make me feel better."
"So why do Vought's bidding?" Diggle asked him.
"Because if I don't, they'll kill my daughter." Slade revealed.
"You have a daughter?" Diggle's eyes widened in shock.
"Her name is Rose." Wilson continued. "When Thanos snapped his fingers, Joe and Grant were among those who became dust. She's all I have left, and Stormfront threatened to find her and kill her if I don't help."
Diggle was at a loss for words. He never knew Slade even had a daughter.
"She's not like me." Slade added. "She's a good person."
Diggle was still in shock, but he slowly swallowed the feeling down.
"Slade… I might have been too harsh for you, for what you've done in the past. God knows I've done things I'm not proud of to Oliver, but I know what it's like to fear for your child's safety." Dig told him. "We'll make sure Stormfront doesn't get the chance... I promise."
Slade smiled at the former soldier, and held out his hand. Diggle held out his own, and the two shook.
"Hey, if you guys are done playing buddy buddy, we need to leave." Dax spoke up, holding up the homemade knockout gas. Diggle and Slade both nodded, and the five of them crept out of the pharmacy, continuing their journey towards the front doors.
"He's burning up!" Annie shouted, feeling Frank's forehead.
"I'm going as fast as I can." Dredd snarled, flooring the gas pedal. "Appreciate what you did back there."
"I don't want your approval." Annie snidely remarked. Dredd said nothing, and she looked out the window.
"You know, the first thing that I thought when he pulled out the gun was 'why did you do that, you stupid fuck?' There was a time when I would've cried over it, but now… he was just another person in our way."
"It wasn't your fault." Dredd said softly, as the car continued speeding down the road. Annie sighed. Since when did she start thinking like this? Was it because she was spending more and more time around Frank and the Boys?
While Annie pondered her new mindset, Anderson still attempted to read Dredd's mind.
"I didn't know you'd care this much about someone, Dredd." Anderson commented. "The other Judges would say you had no heart. Old Stoney Face, that's what they'd call you."
"You don't know me, Anderson." Dredd grumbled, slightly easing up on the gas.
"I know you've actually shown compassion, no matter how little." Anderson pressed. "You passed me on my assessment, when I should have failed for losing my weapon."
"We needed you on the streets." Dredd told her. "You could dispense true justice, like with Ma Ma's techie."
"It runs deeper than that, doesn't it?" Anderson insisted, looking down at Dredd's holster. "Speaking of which, where's your Lawgiver?"
"I lost it."
"We both know that's not true." Anderson scoffed. "Judge Dredd, losing his weapon?"
"Believe it, Anderson." Dredd muttered, and focused on the road.
"You know, when I looked past your anger and control, and I thought I saw a scrap of compassion in there-"
Dredd slammed on the brakes, hard enough for everyone to be pushed forward.
"Jesus, watch it!" Annie shouted, as she held onto Frank. "We still need to get him to the hospital!"
"I have a wife!" Dredd nearly yelled at his former pupil. "Her name is Becca. She's the reason I don't have my Lawgiver."
"You… have a wife?" Anderson whispered.
"I told you, this city changed me." Dredd told her, turning his head to stare out the windshield. "She was forced to leave me almost ten years ago. When she left, she took it with her, to keep her safe."
"From Homelander?" Anderson realized. She couldn't help it, the thought was screaming in Dredd's mind. Nevertheless, he nodded.
"You thought you saw compassion behind my anger, behind that control." Dredd said softly, lowering his voice. "It's not. Behind it all... is fear. Fear of losing everything I love to that creep."
Anderson's mouth hung open, she was momentarily stunned.
"I'm sorry, Dredd. I didn't know."
Dredd grunted in response, turning back to the road and flooring the gas pedal. In an instant, the car zoomed down the road, going faster than ever in trying to reach the hospital in time.
Music: "Billy Escapes" from the Punisher Season 2 OST
Slade led the Boys down the halls, where they skidded to a halt when they saw Cindy pacing at the front door.
"In here, now!" Slade whispered, dashing into the front desk's office. The Boys quickly followed, just as Cindy turned around. Dax popped the cap and threw the canister of makeshift knockout gas, but before a suitable amount could be dispersed, Cinday clenched her fist, crushing the tube.
"Damn you Dax, you said it was going to work!" Diggle hissed.
"I said I thought it would." Dax said through gritted teeth.
Allyson looked around, only now noticing it was just four of them in the office.
"Where's Michael?" Nelson whispered.
Just before Cindy entered the office, Michael walked up from behind her, grabbing her by the back of the neck. The bald girl flailed her arms around, trying to see who was behind her so she could kill him, but Michael snapped her neck by twisting it ninety degrees to the right.
As Cindy's body slumped to the ground, Michael looked up, just in time to see the front doors open up. In walked Stormfront, her eyes lighting up an electric purple, as sparks danced along her fingertips.
"Michael?" Stormfront's voice cracked, and her eyes returned to normal. "What are you doing here?"
Michael said nothing, and stared at her blankly.
"Don't you remember me?" Stormfront asked. "I sat in a cell next to yours in 1979, and I didn't get let go until a couple years ago?"
Despite Michael's blank expression, he recognized her. If his memory was right, he'd met her before. Not on the Seven, but as…
"Liberty."
Stormfront grinned.
"Yes, it's me." Stormfront smiled, closing the distance between them. She stopped, however, when Michael stepped back.
"What's wrong?" Stormfront frowned. "Wasn't I always good to you? I mean, aside from that greasy spic that mopped the floors-"
Stormfront stopped, as Michael suddenly put his hand around her throat. She looked up at him, staring into his black eyes.
"Okay, sorry." Stormfront held up her hands. "I forgot you liked the janitor."
Michael still glared at her, but removed his hand. The Nazi supe seemingly forgot about Myers for a moment, and stared at all the bodies.
"Jesus, what happened here?" Stormfront wondered, looking around the sanitarium and seeing bodies everywhere.
"DEATHSTROKE!"
From inside the office, Diggle pointed his gun at Slade, and shook his head.
"Deathstroke, where the fuck are you?!" Stormfront screeched.
"I'm here!" Slade piped up, moving out of the office and standing next to Michael.
"I just killed six patients like a fucking teddy bear picnic!" Stormfront yelled. "What happened?"
"Doctor Carlton got the propofol dosage wrong again." Slade lied. "Cindy got loose, and she freed the other prisoners. Some might have even escaped the lockdown."
"Well, at least that's one loose end taken care of." Stormfront noted, staring at Cindy's snapped neck. "What's Michael Myers doing here?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Slade shrugged. "I'm thinking they just brought him in today as a new test subject."
"Bullshit." Stormfront rolled her eyes. "Michael was the first subject that was stabilized, miracle as it was. He doesn't need more testing."
"Maybe the state sent him back here." Wilson suggested. "It's not like they know what's going on behind these walls."
Stormfront narrowed her eyes, but decided not to press the matter for the moment.
"Where's Doctor Carlton now?"
"The walls are painted with his blood." Slade swiftly told her.
The entire time Stormfront was speaking, Allyson was breathing faster and faster. Even though she would never admit it, she was scared of what she wanted to do to that woman. As she slowly pulled out her hunting knife, she felt a hand grab hers, and she looked up, seeing Dax staring at her with pleading eyes.
"Don't do this." Dax whispered. "Not now."
Allyson swallowed her fear, and she nodded, calming down.
"Clean up this mess, I'm going to see who else escaped." Stormfront ordered, while walking down the halls. "And put Michael in a cell for now. The doctors will think of something."
"Yes ma'am." Slade said reluctantly, before he and Michael turned back to the front office.
"All clear?" Diggle asked.
"For now." Wilson replied. "Let's go."
Dredd, Anderson, and Annie carried Frank into the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, to the wide eyes of everyone there.
"We need help!" Dredd yelled, gaining the attention of the receptionist at the front desk. Despite the odd uniforms he and Anderson wore, the doctors didn't question them, and instead quickly helped with getting Frank into the ER.
Ten minutes later, Frank found himself hooked up to heart monitors, and strapped to a hospital bed, while wearing a white gown. Standing over him were Dredd and Anderson.
"Hey." Frank murmured, just as Annie came in.
"The doctor said you should make a full recovery within a few days. It only looked worse than it really was." Annie informed. "But, you'll need to stay here overnight."
"Not an option." Frank muttered, attempting to sit up. "We don't have a few days."
"Frank, you don't have much of a choice." Annie told him, while Dredd gently pushed him back down.
"Leave me here then." Frank suggested. "The world needs to see the truth about what's going on at Smith's Grove."
"I thought you didn't want me to leave a man behind, Castle." Dredd commented.
"I'll be alright." Frank reassured everyone. "I can take care of myself."
Dredd wore a grim expression, while Anderson looked over to him.
"So… your wife. Rebecca." Anderson murmured. "You gave her your Lawgiver?"
"No. She took it when she was forced to leave." Dredd revealed.
"What happened?"
Dredd sighed, and sat in one of the chairs next to Frank's bed.
"Do you remember that supe on the television?"
"Homelander?" Anderson guessed.
"Correct." Dredd cast his head downwards to stare at the floor. "He raped my wife."
Anderson was taken aback. It's not the first time she's heard of such a crime. Not the first time she's seen it either. And yet…
"Are you sure?"
"She had sat on a park bench for three hours a day, for months." Dredd told her. "She eventually finally left, and the last time I saw her, a child that looked exactly like the creep was with her."
Dredd stood back up, and removed his helmet. Anderson didn't have to be a psychic to see the pain, hatred, and above all, fear in his eyes.
"Out of all the perps we've faced; Ma Ma, the Angel Gang, the Gila Munja, Judge Death and the Dark Judges…" Dredd's voice trailed off. "Even with Rico, my own brother, it was never personal. Creep breaks the law, they get judged, nothing more. But with Homelander…"
"It is personal." Anderson finished. "That's why you can't go back to Mega city One."
Joseph looked at Anderson, swallowing a lump in his throat, and nodded.
"I need to find my wife, and make sure she's safe." Dredd declared, placing his helmet back over his head. Anderson nodded, and began fiddling with the time displacement belt around her waist.
"Okay. But I still need to go back to the Justice Department. They can track me with the belt on." Anderson told him, activating the time displacement belt.
"See you on the streets, Joe."
"Tell them I have unfinished business here." Dredd told her. Anderson nodded in agreement, and in a flash of blue light, she vanished, leaving Dredd and Annie with Frank in the hospital room.
"See you on the streets, Anderson."
Diggle and Slade were on the phone with Annie, while Dax, Allyson, and Michael sat on the tail end of the ambulance they commandeered when escaping Smith's Grove. While Dig was hearing the news about Frank, Michael stared into the forest, and Dax was talking to Allyson
"Allyson, I am sorry for what I said yesterday." Dax apologized. "I thought that by saving you, I would make up for everything that I'd done, even before Lamplighter burned those kids."
Allyson looked towards Dax, her expression morphing into sadness.
"You never asked to be saved. And you can't absolve me of my sins. No one can." Dax continued. "For that, I am sorry. I will leave you alone now with Michael."
Dax was about to stand up, but Allyson grabbed his hand.
"I appreciate that you tried to see good in me… but there's no helping me." Allyson said somberly. "I know I'm a monster. I tried to deny it, tried to hate myself for it, for what I did two years ago… but I can't run from the truth forever."
"Allyson, you're not-"
"Please don't tell me that I'm wrong." Allyson begged, tears stinging her eyes. "I know I'm not. I've killed two people before Vought even got a hold of me. I kept making excuses for Michael, and came to love him like my own flesh and blood."
Dax looked at the girl with pity, and sighed. Maybe she was right. Perhaps she was a monster, and he should stay away from her.
Before either of them spoke another word, Diggle came back, followed by Slade.
"Annie said that it was a close stitch, but Frank will be alright." Diggle announced. "Unfortunately, he'll have to stay in Haddonfield at least overnight."
"A couple days?" Dax repeated, pointing towards Slade. "What are we going to do with him then?"
"I've already spoken with Mallory." Diggle revealed to everyone. "She has an idea."
"Before we go, I need to stop at the cemetery." Allyson suddenly announced.
"What the Hell for?" Diggle asked, confused.
Allyson looked back towards Michael, who stared at her with his usual blank expression. Only this time, she could see the twinkle in his eyes, a sign he knew what she was going to say.
"I need to say goodbye." Allyson whispered.
Stormfront walked into her office, seeing Homelander standing there, with his back turned to her.
"Hey." the Nazi supe called out. "Sorry I'm late. There was a breakout in Smith's Grove."
"How many did you have to kill?" Homeland asked, turning around so she could see his irritated expression.
"At least ten." Stormfront grumbled. "And nearly all of the doctors and guards are dead."
"Deathstroke?"
"Still alive, somehow." Stormfront told him. "I also saw Michael there."
"Michael… who?" Homelander raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"Michael Myers." Stormfront explained. "He was my only friend in that prison…"
"You were in there?"
Stormfront nodded, walking over to a black chest in the corner. She opened the lid, revealing her old Liberty costume, as well as a more recent picture of her and her mother Adele.
"Your mother?" Homelander knit his brows, not connecting the dots.
"My daughter." Stormfront revealed. "Chloe. She died of alzheimers a few years ago."
"How old are you?" Homelander asked, looking at her in shock.
"I was born in 1919, in Berlin." Stormfront said, with tears in her eyes. "Frederick Vought was my husband. He gave me the first successful injection of Compound V, and he taught me everything. We fell in love, and he gave me a beautiful daughter. He made me, and his legacy made you."
"How does Michael Myers fit into all of this?" Homelander asked, backing away slightly.
"When I was known as Liberty, I was… more open of who I was." Stormfront continued her story. "At the time, Carter was still president, and to save face, Vought ordered I be sent to Smith's Grove, under the care of Samuel Loomis. The same doctor as Michael. While there, the doctors would experiment on their patients. Most of them would reject the V, but others…"
"Were you and Michael." Homelander realized.
"Well, it worked on me because I already had V in me." Stormfront scoffed. "And it worked on Michael because he had been routinely pumped with it since 1963. I just thought he vanished after his last massacre in 2018."
Homelander nodded. He heard about that massacre on Halloween night. How Michael Myers escaped a prison bus, killed over ten people, and then just up and disappeared.
"Will he be a problem?"
"I doubt it." Stormfront smirked. "He usually only has one goal in mind: to kill. Even his doctor described him as being pure evil."
"Good." Homelander grinned. "I don't want another problem getting in the way."
"We have five problems." Stormfront reminded him. "Well, six, including Starlight now. I still don't understand why you don't want us to take care of those problems."
"Because right now, we need a scapegoat for these mud people to go after." Homelander chastised, placing his hands on her cheeks. "To keep them distracted from our real plan."
"To win this war against the other races, with you leading us?" Stormfront asked hopefully.
"To bring this world to its knees, and take what's rightfully ours." Homelander smiled, before leaning in to kiss his Nazi lover.
Music: "Laurie's Past" from Halloween 2018 OST
Allyson and Michael stood in Haddonfield's graveyard, staring down at three headstones. One of which was her grandmother's, Laurie Strode, and the other two were her parents. Allyson began breathing heavily, but after looking at Michael, she slowly relaxed, and got down on one knee.
"Hello Grandmother. Mom, Dad." Allyson whispered. "I'm sorry I haven't visited. I know it wasn't entirely my fault, but I should have at least seen grandma before I…"
Allyson stopped, choking back tears.
"I don't know how you'd react to what I've become. To whom I've turned to for help." Allyson spoke softer, watching her tears land on some flowers laid out in front of Laurie's gravestone. "Mom, Dad… I think you should at least know your deaths were avenged, even though it wasn't me who carried it out. You might prefer it that way though."
Allyson looked up towards Michael again, almost seeing a twitch of sadness in his black eyes.
"I know that you'd hate it, what I'm going to do." Allyson continued. "You especially, Grandmother, if you saw me following in your footsteps. I tried so hard, to not be consumed by the past like you were, I really tried. But things got fucked up anyway. Cameron died, and I can't let her get away with it."
Nelson paused, closing her eyes for a moment.
"I'm not trying to ask for your blessing, or your permission. I know I won't get it." Allyson sobbed. "If you were here, you'd probably be screaming at me to stop, just like with Doctor Sartain's son…"
Allyson looked over her shoulder, seeing the rest of the Boys patiently waiting. She turned back to the gravestone, and put her hand over Laurie Strode's gravestone.
"Forgive me, Grandmother. I know I'm never going to see you again, not after what I've done, but..." Allyson cried, feeling tears pour down her cheeks. "Please, Mom and Dad, forgive me, for all I've done in your names… and what I'm going to do."
Michael placed his hand on Allyson's shoulder, and she looked up at him, wiping away her tears. Myers stared down at her, breaking his expressionless mask, and showing pity in his eyes. Allyson choked down a sob, and slowly stood back up, wearing her own blank expression. She slowly nodded to Michael, and together, the two walked back towards the Boys, ready to return to New York.
Judge Anderson materialized back in the Project Proteus lab, being greeted by the Tek Judge with the red beard, and Chief Judge Silver.
"Anderson, you're back." Silver smiled. "But where's Dredd?"
"He didn't come with." Anderson answered, as she handed the temporal jump belt to the Tek Judge and stepped off the machine's pad.
"Was he compromised?"
"No." Anderson told Silver, looking her in the eyes.
"He had unfinished business, and refused to leave."
A/N: So, a couple things: first off, I replaced Deathstroke with Lamplighter because, I'm sorry, but I did not feel bad for him in the episode. He said that he didn't know it was Mallory's grandkids until it was too late, but I don't care. Plus, I missed Slade from not being in the final two seasons of Arrow, especially when he should've been at Oliver's funeral. I'm not going to have Rose Wilson appear at all. If I think of something interesting for her, I might save her for another story.
Also, this isn't the last we've seen of Judge Anderson. She will come back at a later point in the story. Although, she and Chief Judge Silver are the only characters from the Dredd comics that appear in this story, no one else.
The reason I had Liberty/Stormfront know Michael from their time in Smith's Grove was because originally, I had this crazy idea that Stormfront was a Compound V resurrected version of Judith Myers, just to give Michael and Allyson one more connection. Don't know where I got it from, but I'm glad I kept her origin from the actual show.
Speaking of Michael, that hooded jacket that Dax gives him at the start of the chapter is a nod to his outfit in Rob Zombie's Halloween 2. Oddly enough, out of all the Halloween films, the remakes are the ones I go back to. There's just something about them that makes me like them more than the originals.
Oh, I mostly inserted that Ismael Cruz cameo because I wanted to bring back a bit of those moments from my previous two Halloween fanfics. I hope I did it justice.
The next chapter will be vastly different from the episode it's supposed to mirror. For one, Frank will stay in that hospital bed for a good portion of it. And Butcher's scenes with his family is completely cut out, since Dredd doesn't have parents in this world.
Stay tuned.