A/N: Okay, I'm changing a lot of things from the finale. First off, Becca Butcher gets way more scenery in this chapter, and her escape (and the way she finds Dredd) is way different. Also, a few character deaths and motivations are switched around.
Enjoy.
Music: "Escape the Base" Punisher Season 2 version
Four Hours Ago
Becca finished tying her hair back in a loose ponytail, and put on a beige colored jacket over her white shirt. After Homelander and Stormfront took Ryan, she broke down, crying on her knees. She must have cried herself asleep, because when she woke up, she was still outside, laying on the grass. At first, she had hoped it was all a bad dream, but when Becca went back inside the house, that fantasy was quickly extinguished. Ryan was gone, and she had to save him. But how? How could Becca, just one woman, fight off two of the most powerful supes in the world? Two of the evillest monsters Vought created?
As Becca thought of Homelander and Stormfront as evil, her memory called forth a time she had spoken with her friend from church, the blind lawyer Matt Murdock. They sat on that park bench for hours, as she discussed Homelander's rape from three months prior, shortly after that Christmas party. For some reason, he believed every word she said, and barely talked at all. He just sat there, and listened.
Murdock wanted to open up a case against Vought and Homelander, but Becca refused. Money wouldn't have been a problem; Matt even offered to do it for free, but she still shut him down. The ugly truth was that no one would believe her. If she was honest, she still wasn't sure why Matt believed her in the first place.
In the end, Matt gave up, until she asked him if there was any way to fight off such evil. His response had shook her to her core, and still haunted her to this day.
"You can suffocate evil. Starve it. Lock it behind bars. But it will always find a way to come back, stronger than ever. There's only one true way to end evil. To finish it for good… you have to let the Devil out."
Becca had been mortified by what Matt said at the time, remembering him being a devout Catholic. Now, as she walked up the stairs of her house and to her bedroom, she had an idea what he was talking about. A shame really, that Murdock was among the many who vanished when Thanos snapped his fingers three years ago.
Rebecca entered her room and walked over to the closet, throwing the door open and pulling out the metal box lined with zinc. She lifted the lid, revealing her husband's Lawgiver, and gripped the weapon tightly. As she turned the gun over, she saw the display screen light up blue, as it usually did.
DNA Check…
ID Okay.
Becca took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She had to be strong for her son. She needed to find him, but for that, she needed Billy's help.
Becca slowly exhaled, and opened her eyes. She was done preparing. It was time to finally let the Devil out.
The moment she exited the house, Becca's eyes flicked upward, seeing the security camera facing the front door. She grimaced, knowing that within minutes, the guards would be alerted to what she was trying to do. Assuming they were still up.
Becca laughed to herself. What was she thinking, of course they'd still have a guard posted at all times. But, she did have her husband's Lawgiver…
Becca climbed into her car, started the engine, and began driving away from the place that had been her home for nine years. As each second passed by, the vehicle accelerated, until the front gate came into view. She began to slow down, and stopped the car when it was right next to the guard shack. Becca all but threw open her car door, and walked briskly up to the shack, seeing a lone guard inside, reading a magazine and being illuminated by a single light.
"Open the gate." Becca demanded, reaching into her jacket and wrapping her hand around the Lawgiver. "Open this fucking gate!"
"Please return to your car." the guard told her.
"They took Ryan. Open the goddamned gate!"
"We heard about what happened, and we are doing our best to locate your son." the guard continued, keeping his calm voice. "Please, go back to your car."
Becca began breathing heavily, and with shaking hands, she pulled out the Lawgiver, and aimed it at the glass.
"Armor Piercer."
The gun lit up blue, and the electronic humming was heard.
"Please, just open the gate." Becca pleaded. "Don't make me do this."
The guard's eyes widened, despite the bulletproof glass between them. A second later, and pressed a button next to the phone.
"Security, Rebecca Butcher is trying to leave-"
Becca squeezed the trigger on the Lawgiver, and an armor piercing bullet soared out. The diamond hard tip shattered the glass and penetrated the man's skull, showering the back of the shack with his blood and leaving a dark red hole in his forehead.
Rebecca's eyes widened in mortification. She'd never killed anyone before, even though Billy had taught her to defend herself all those years ago. As feelings of guilt and remorse began to rise up in her, she pushed them down. She didn't have time to feel sorry for what she did. She had to get her son back.
Becca carefully climbed through the destroyed window, looked over the shack's console, and pressed a green button next to the security monster. The instant the button was pressed, she looked back out, seeing the gates slowly opening. Butcher quickly exited the guard shack via the door, and ran through the gates, leaving her car behind. Knowing Vought, they most likely placed a tracker on the vehicle, so unfortunately, it would be for the best if she left on foot.
Becca took off running through the woods, ducking under trees and sliding down hills, not willing to let up. It wasn't until half an hour later, when she was still in the woods, when she was stopped by a team of eight Vought guards. All of them wore the same armor, carrying the same weapons, and there were blocking the entrance to a drain tunnel leading back to New York.
"Mrs. Butcher, please stand down." The guard in the middle politely, yet sternly, requested.
"They have my son out there." Becca told them, gripping the Lawgiver tightly. "If you won't do something about it, then I will. Let me go, please. You don't want this."
Becca looked behind her, seeing two more guards behind her.
"I repeat, stand down." the lead guard said, his voice becoming harsher as he pointed his Vought issued M16 at her. "We don't want to neutralize you, but we will if necessary."
Becca silently shook her head, and quickly raised her Lawgiver.
"Rapid Fire."
The gun hummed to life, and she fired in a wide arc. The stream of bullets stuck at least six of the guards in the front, and she swivelled around in a kneeling position, holding the trigger and firing on the guards behind her. Becca turned back around to find the lead guard hitting her in the face with the butt of his gun, sending her to the ground and letting go of the Lawgiver. As the guard got in close, Becca spat blood in his face, sending him reeling back in disgust. She quickly grabbed the gun again, and pointed it at the lead guard's face.
"Hi-Ex."
The gun hummed again, and Butcher squeezed the trigger. The second the shot fired, the guard's head exploded, shocking the final guard.
"Mother fucker!"
The guard rushed forward, grabbing Becca's wrist and twisting to the side, forcing the gun away from his head in the nick of time, as she tried firing again. The guard wrapped one hand around her gun, and pressed his other arm down on Becca's throat.
"Choke on it, you bitch!"
Becca struggled to breath, but she pulled the trigger on the Lawgiver, completely obliterating the guard's hand with a Hi-Ex round and forcing him off her. Butcher slowly stood back up, gasping for air, as the guard slumped to his knees. Once Becca began breathing normally again, she grabbed the guard's head, and forced him to look up, exposing his neck. Without another thought, she pistol whipped his throat with the Lawgiver, crushing his Adam's apple and slowly choking him to death.
"Choke on that."
The guard slowly choked on his own neck, before falling to the ground. Becca turned her head away, hearing his strangled gasps, and ran through the tunnel, seeing the light at the end grow brighter and brighter, until she was back in New York.
Now
Annie and Donna walked down the streets in Harlem, as armoured trucks rolled down the streets. They passed glass displays, all showing television sets broadcasting a Vought issued PSA of supe terrorists attacking schools.
"I'm nervous about driving in the city." Donna told her daughter.
"You'll be okay." Annie insisted. "You remember the plan?"
"Drive straight to Gen's in Sedona, only use cash for gas, and no hotels." Donna recounted. "I don't want to leave you here."
"I'll be okay." Annie said reassuredly. Donna looked at her child in sadness, before reaching into her purse and pulling out a gold color rosary.
"Here. You need a new one." Donna declared.
"You know I won't wear it." Annie grumbled.
"I don't need you to wear it, I just want you to have it." Donna told her solemnly. "I love you."
Annie looked to the side for a moment, before nodding.
"I love you too."
Starlight and her mother wrapped each other in an awkward feeling hug, before breaking it off after a few seconds.
"Be safe." Donna all but ordered. Annie looked at her mother with a mirthless smile.
"I will."
Annie entered the hideout to see the Boys loading up on weapons. Judge Dredd reloaded his Widowmaker. Frank locked and loaded his sniper rifle. Diggle was checking the specifications on his modified rifle and pistols. Michael simply stood there, watching Allyson and Dax jury rigging a rocket launcher.
"What's going on?" Annie asked, confused.
"We're going to war." Frank told her, looking through the sniper scope to make sure it was clear.
"The RPG releases an electromagnetic pulse that should cut through Stormfront's plasma bolts." Dax announced, as he and Allyson put the launcher together.
"How sure?" Diggle asked.
"Guesstimate." Dax shrugged.
"So that's Stormfront." Dredd muttered, before looking over to Allyson and Michael. "And thanks to Nelson, we have Black Noir on our side to take care of Homelander in case Stark's miracle bullet won't cut it. What about Maeve?"
"Hey, no." Frank growled, stepping towards the Judge. "She's good, alright? She helped me break Annie out."
"Then that's one less body bag." Joseph grunted, as he pushed another shell into the shotgun.
"What if I testify against Vought?" Annie suggested. "Mallory and Neumann said they needed one more witness."
"Escaped convicts don't have a lot of credibility." Diggle groaned. "I should know."
"Okay, but I know someone who might." Annie smirked, turning on her heel and leaving the hideout. "Frank, are you coming?"
Castle's lips quirked up in a half smile, and set the rifle down.
"Right behind you, kid."
"While officials are still trying to pinpoint the perpetrator of the capitol attack, the Department of Homeland Security has issued a crimson terror alert."
Stormfront walked into the Seven's conference room, seeing Homelander stare at the flatscreen television in front of him.
"Have you found Black Noir?" Homelander asked, not bothering to turn around.
"No." Stormfront shook her head. "Wherever they're hiding him, they've done a thorough job."
"Or maybe he's with them." Homelander grumbled. "So, Noir and Starlight are missing, A-Train, the Deep, and Translucent are all dead, Maeve hasn't responded to our calls, and you're fine with all this?"
"Yes." Stormfront grinned, nodding towards the tv, just as Vogelbaum's head exploded. "Because of this."
Homelander exhaled in frustration, as the monitor said that no terrorist organization claimed responsibility.
"So, you didn't do this-"
"I wish I killed Vogelbaum." Stormfront snorted. "But no, not me."
"And there's no supervillains on American soil."
"Not that we know of." Stormfront pointed out.
"So that leaves… Edgar." Homelander knit his eyebrows in confusion.
"Yeah, he's pretty smart for a nigger." Stormfront said casually, before stepping closer to Homelander. "Hey, smile. We're close. There have been sacrifices, but soon, there will be no more premieres, or paparazzi. Soon, we'll have what's rightfully ours."
"The world will be ours." Homelander agreed, grinning at his lover.
Music: "Would" by Alice in Chains
Frank and Annie drove a blue minivan through New York, with Annie telling him which turns to take. While they drove, Annie thought back to the hideout, seeing the Boys arming themselves for total war.
"You guys are right." Annie barely whispered, though Frank still heard her.
"What?"
"You, Dredd… we already tried taking Vought down the right way." Annie explained. "To be honest, I don't think this is going to work. It won't stop Compound V being distributed to everyone across the country."
"Then why are we doing this?" Frank asked, preparing to stop.
"Why'd you save me at the tower?" Annie shot back.
"Come on, Annie, don't do that." Frank scoffed. "They were going to kill you. What was I supposed to do? I had to get involved."
"Even after everything I did to you?" Annie pressed. "You had every right to give up on me. Why didn't you?"
"I'd never give up on you, kid." Frank said softly. "It is what it is, I guess."
"And that's why I'm helping." Annie revealed. "Because I don't want to give up either."
Frank slightly smirked, as he parked the car outside an apartment complex.
"This is it?"
Annie nodded, and they walked inside, climbing two flights of stairs before coming to a door with the number 63 on it. They didn't even have to knock, as the door opened, revealing Queen Maeve with a grim expression.
"Stupid of you to text." Maeve muttered, as she reluctantly let them in. "Everyone's looking for you."
"I heard." Annie groaned, while Maeve grabbed a stout glass, pouring scotch into it.
"So what do you want?" Maggie asked, sitting down on a gray colored sofa.
"We need you to testify. On record." Annie requested. "Against Vought, Homelander, Stormfront, everyone."
"And why the fuck would I do that?" Maeve asked.
"Because things are really bad." Annie insisted. "You're our last chance."
"I'll pass." Maeve murmured.
"I get it, it's dangerous-"
"It's suicide." Maeve interrupted. "But that's not the reason."
"Then what is?" Annie asked, her voice raising slightly.
"I'm tired." Maeve shrugged. Frank and Annie glanced at each other for a moment, before he tried to speak up.
"We are all tired." Castle told her. "You're scared of what Vought or Homelander can do, I get that. Trust me, I do. But this is a war now-"
"Shut the fuck up." Maeve growled, gripping the glass so tightly, it shattered from her strength. "Haven't I done enough for you? For either of you? Breaking the Punisher out of the hospital, helping free you from the tower? It doesn't matter what we do, it won't get better. And I'm tired of it all. So please, just leave."
Annie sighed, but slowly nodded
"Alright. Come on." Annie told Frank, and the two silently walked out of the apartment. Once the door closed, Maeve sighed from exhaustion, before walking over to the cupboard in the small kitchen and taking a small device out. The object in question looked like a bionic eye, connected to a gray rectangle. Maeve lightly tapped the device a couple times, and a type of projector was activated, playing a scene of Homelander killing that purple titan, Thanos, with his laser vision. As she stared at the video played, her mind flashed back to three years ago, when they confronted Thanos.
After he had killed the mad titan, as well as the Avengers, Maeve had tried to help the blue skinned woman, who, despite being cut in half by Homelander's lasers, while still struggling to stay alive. Instead, the woman pointed towards her eye, and uttered two words.
"Take it…"
"What?" Maeve asked in confusion, not knowing what she meant. As if to answer, the blue skinned Avenger dug her metal fingers into the left side of her head, pulling out her eye and revealing a small box attached to it.
"Maeve, ready to go?" Homelander asked, once the commotion of slaughtering the Avengers was finished. He had just finished detailing his plan to the Seven on how they would spin the story of the Avengers dying.
Maeve had quickly stood up, and painfully hid the device in her boots.
"Sure." Maeve fake smiled, ignoring the object digging into her skin.
It took Maeve a few days after the incident to actually look into the device. When she finally did, she realized it contained years worth of recordings, but the most recent one was of Homelander killing everyone. She knew she should have gotten rid of it, for fear of Homelander discovering it, but for some reason, she kept it. Now, as Maeve continued to watch the video feed, turning away as Homelander popped Captain America's head off his shoulders, she realized something. Maybe what was going on now was the reason why she kept it. This was her chance to reveal who Homelander was.
Maeve sighed in frustration. Perhaps she shouldn't have turned Frank and Annie away after all.
Judge Dredd continued loading weapons, when an image on the computers caught his eye. He noticeably turned his head, and squinted his eyes at the form of a young woman creeping through alleyways. Diggle noticed this as well, but looked at Joseph in confusion.
"What are you looking for?" Diggle asked, squinting at the hundreds of cameras on the screens. Dredd ignored the former vigilante, and focused on the monitors. Or rather, one monitor in particular. Joseph's eyes widened, seeing a woman with dark red hair and a beige jacket on one of the cameras. She was trying to be discreet, barely looking up and always taking back alleys, but he'd know her from anywhere.
"Becca…" Dredd murmured, reaching out with his hand to touch the screen. Judging by the fact that at the end of the alley was an ATM with the letters QCB on the side, Joseph inferred that she was in Queens, right next to their community bank.
Dredd stood up, and unslung the Widowmaker from his back.
"Where are you going?" Diggle asked.
"I'm going to get my wife." Dredd called back, as he mounted the motorcycle. He had no idea how she got out of whatever prison she was holed up in, but that didn't matter. What mattered was he had to make sure she was safe.
"You gonna need backup?" Dax asked, stepping forward and pulling out a pistol.
Dredd looked back towards the Boys, and scowled.
"No."
Music: "The Plan" from Dredd 2012
Becca continued walking through back alleys and empty streets, not wanting to run the risk of being spotted. As she hid behind the Queens Community Bank, a humanoid being with light brown skin flew down in front of her, wearing a red cape. The person had a bald head, no nose, and on his chest with a dark red circle. Becca's eyes widened, realizing the supe was Jack From Jupiter, former member of the Seven.
"Well well. If it isn't Billy the Butcher's whore." Jack sneered, as he began stepping closer. "You know, it was his fault I got kicked from the Seven. Leaked a video of me killing a tranny, and Homelander gave me the boot."
Becca's eyes widened, and she began to back up.
"Been looking for a way to get back at your fag husband for a while." Jack grinned sinisterly. "And it looks like it just fell into my lap."
Becca suddenly raised her gun arm, and pointed the Lawgiver at Jack's face.
"Hi-Ex."
The gun hummed to life, but it made a different noise before. This time, the sound was more low in pitch. Becca looked at the gun's display screen in confusion, only to see two digits, both saying zero, as well as the word EMPTY in bold letters. She was out of high explosive rounds.
"Armor Piercer."
The display screen changed to AP rounds, but retained the double zero number. EMPTY.
"Incendiary? Rapid Fire?"
Both times, the gun remained at zero, both saying EMPTY.
"Looks like you're out of bullets."
Becca looked back up, just in time to see Jack From Jupiter slap the gun out of her hands. The pistol hit the side of a brick wall, bouncing off and skidding across the ground behind them. Jack proceeded to grab her by the throat, and slam her back against the left alley wall. Neither of them noticed a pair of black combat boots entering the mouth of the alley, picking up the Lawgiver, and inserting a new clip.
Meanwhile, Jack began grinning like a maniac, while Becca tried to scream. The minute she opened her mouth, Jack clamped his other hand down, silencing her.
"Think I'll send a message to that husband of yours-"
"Let her go, creep."
Jack and Becca turned their heads in the direction of the new voice, seeing a man in some type of armor. It looked like an armored version of a motorcycle jacket, with golden shoulder pads, one of which was shaped like an eagle, and on his chest was a badge reading Dredd. He wore a cylindrical helmet with a dark visor over his eyes, and the edges were lined in a bright red that formed an X at the top of the visor. In his hands was Becca's discarded weapon, which was hanging by his side for the moment.
"Carpo!" Jack shouted, and his body began to glow a bright red.
"Let's talk." the man, presumably named Dredd by his badge, said in a calm and cold manner. "Release the hostage, my wife, unharmed, and I guarantee you a quick and painless death."
"Oh, look at you, Butcher!" Jack sneered, tightening his grip around Becca's throat. The moment Dredd mentioned Becca as his wife was when he put two and two together, and that made him even more annoyed. "Think you're so badass now with your new costume? And that's your offer, a quick death?"
"Only if you comply." Dredd calmly told the supe.
"You're not a very good negotiator." Jack snickered. "You know why? You have no fucking leverage! So here's a new deal: you walk out of here. I'm going to kill your whore, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!"
Behind the visor, Dredd glared at Jack From Jupiter, remembering a similar situation he was in, ten years ago. Some perp that was hyped up on Slo Mo had taken a restaurant worker hostage, and was acting irrationally. Dredd offered life without parole in an iso-cube, as opposed to a death sentence, but he was turned down. Now, as the lawman stared at Jack, he knew just how to end this hostage crisis.
"Negotiation's over." Dredd calmly stated, lifting the Lawgiver and pointing it at Jack's face.
"That's not going to do shit!" Jack laughed. "You hear me? I'll kill your bitch!"
"Yeah, I heard you, Hotshot." Dredd slightly nodded.
"What the fuck did you just say?" Jack asked, confused.
"I said, Hotshot."
Dredd pulled the trigger, and a bullet soared out, with smoke trailing behind it. The projectile hit Jack in the mouth, and he began gagging. Had he not said the special word to become temporarily invulnerable, the bullet would have melted his face from the inside.
As Jack sputtered, the reddish glow faded quickly from his skin. Becca slammed her elbow on his forearm, forcing the supe to release her, and she clutched her own throat, sucking down oxygen. Jack began to feel his mouth heat up, and he quickly spat out the round before it could do anymore damage.
"What the-"
Dredd lunged forward, grabbing him by the throat and pressing his back against the corner of the alleyway. He reached down, holstering the Lawgiver and extracting the boot knife from his left boot, and stabbed Jack in the stomach.
"C… Cur-" Jack tried to say, but Dredd's hand squeezed his throat tighter, as he lifted him a foot off the ground.
"You tried to kill my wife." Dredd seethed, repeatedly stabbing Jack in the stomach. Blood began gushing out, and the supe could do nothing. He couldn't fight back. He couldn't say the word that made him invulnerable. He couldn't even scream from the pain that was rapidly travelling up his body. All he could do was stare at the Judge in fear, until his vision slowly faded.
Dredd stabbed Jack From Jupiter, again and again, until the repeated wounds created a large enough gash that his guts and entrails spilled out. The only thing connecting both halves of his body was the spine, which was now drenched in blood. Joseph abruptly dropped Jack's corpse, and turned to his wife, who stared at him in shock.
"Becks…" Joe murmured, reaching out to her. Becca stared at her husband, barely registering that he was wearing his former Street Judge uniform, and broke down crying. Dredd slowly walked over to her, and wrapped her in a warm hug.
"Billy." Becca sobbed into his chest. "They took him."
"Who?" Dredd asked. He had an idea why Becca would suddenly appear in New York, but he needed to be sure.
Becca pulled away, looking up at Dredd's visor.
"My son." Becca cried. "They have Ryan."
Dredd didn't say anything. He knew Becca had a son, with Homelander as the father. A week ago, when he was still Billy Butcher, he probably would've told her to fuck off. That he didn't give a shit about supes being kidnapped. But now, after he saw Starlight help them on more than one occasion… he changed. Just like how Anderson changed him, twenty years ago.
Joseph slowly nodded, and all but carried his wife out of the alley. He walked over to where his motorcycle was parked, but stopped, seeing four Dogs of Hell checking the bikes out.
"Well shit, it really is Big Joe's wheels!" one of the bikers said, looking over to Dredd.
"And there's the prick who boosted them!" another Dog grinned. "I heard Vought put a price on his head! Let's cash in!"
The Dogs began to approach, and Dredd gently set Becca on her feet, while unholstering his Lawgiver.
"Rapid Fire."
The electronic hum was heard, and Dredd jerked his arm to bend at ninety degrees, aiming from the hip. Joseph squeezed the trigger and swung his arm from left to right, peppering the bikers in a hailstorm of bullets. The perps fell to the ground, their corpses painting the sidewalk crimson, and Dredd resumed carrying Becca to his motorcycle.
"Hold on." Dredd advised, as he mounted the bike. Becca wrapped her arms around his waist, securing herself on the vehicle, and Dredd revved the bike up, before tearing down the streets of New York.
Stan Edgar sat in the dining room of the Church of the Collective's Renewal Centre, with Alastair Adana, their leader, sitting across from him.
"I appreciate you coming here, Stan." Adana smiled through his thick brown beard, as he smoothed his dark blue and straightened his red striped tie. A waiter approached them, both setting down two cans of Fresca, and left.
"Well, I can't afford being seen with you at the tower, now can I?" Edgar said smoothly, before leaning forward. "Not after what you did at the hearing this morning."
"We had a deal." Alastair told Stan, glaring at the head of Vought. "I scratch your back in taking care of Vogelbaum and Slade Wilson, you scratch mine by finding Frank Castle."
"I assure you, Vought is working on that." Edgar told the head of the Church. "It was actually made easier when Homelander decided to get all of New York to hunt for him and his merry band of murderers."
"Good." Alastair smiled. "When you find him, I want Castle brought to me, personally."
"You seem very interested in catching the man who killed someone whom admitted to sexual assault." Edgar raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
"The Deep had made great headway in his rehabilitation." Adana scoffed. "The Church spent a vast investment in that, and we do not take kindly to one of our own being murdered."
"Very well." Stan nodded, and the two men stood up, shaking hands.
"It was a pleasure speaking with you, Mister Edgar." Adana smiled. "I'll have my waiter see you out."
As the two men walked out, the door to the dining room opened, and a man in a maroon colored vest and quiver full of arrows stepped in, staring at Adana and Edgar's forms leaving.
"Sons of bitches."
Becca and Joseph entered the hideout and quickly dismounted the motorcycle. As Dredd walked up the steps to look at the monitors, Becca watched as the rest of the Boys began staring at her. Standing off to the side of several computer monitors was a bald African American man, a young man with baby face looks, an older man wearing a brown hood over his face, and a young woman with light brown hair and wearing a black coat.
"You're Becca?" Diggle raised an eyebrow. "Dredd's told us a lot about you."
"Are you all… close to him?" Becca asked.
"Not really." Diggle shrugged. "He's not close to anyone."
"Well, he's close to me." Dax smiled. "I've known him for three years now."
"Who are all you?" Rebecca inquired.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Dax." the man with the boyish looks wore a goofy smile.
"Diggle." John murmured.
"Allyson." the young woman deadpanned, before staring at the older man in the hood. "And this is Michael."
"Nice to meet all of you." Becca slightly smiled, and slowly walked up the steps, peering at the monitors with Joseph.
"He's not showing up on the video feed." Dredd muttered. "Neither are Homelander or Stormfront."
"So do you think he's at the tower?" Becca asked.
"Not sure." Dredd grimaced. "Stay here."
"Billy, wait-" Becca stood up, but Joseph interrupted her.
"Don't worry. I will find your son." Dredd declared, in that quiet, yet commanding voice.
Becca smiled, as Dredd pressed his helmeted forehead against hers.
"Thank you." Becca whispered, before the Judge pulled away and walked off.
Stan Edgar walked down the sidewalk, before climbing into his personal limo. Just as his valet closed the door, his phone began ringing, and the president of Vought quickly answered.
"What is it, Samantha?" Edgar snapped. "I'm busy."
"Sorry sir, but there's someone asking for you. He says it's life or death, and you know him."
"Who is it then?" Edgar asked.
"He says his name is Joseph Dredd."
Stan Edgar frowned. Where had he heard that name before?
Oh, that's right. It must have been the man with Frank Castle who kidnapped Black Noir, outside Tony Stark's lake house. It was brief, but when Noir first approached them, Edgar could just barely see the gold badge reading Dredd through the body camera.
"Put him through." Edgar sighed.
As Frank and Annie drove back towards the hideout, Castle spared a glance at her, seeing she was fiddling with a box containing a gold cross rosary.
"New bling?" Frank asked casually.
"Yeah, Donna got it for me." Annie muttered. "She probably got it from a thrift store. Moms… the gift that keeps on giving. Forever."
"Kid, I know you're still mad at your mom for what she did-"
"She lied to me Frank. For my entire life." Annie interrupted. "She hurt me."
"That right?" Castle murmured. "The people who can hurt you, I mean really hurt you, are the ones close enough to do it. The ones who can get inside you, tear you down, and make you think you'll never recover."
"Why are you telling me this, Frank?" Annie asked.
"Because I'd cut my arm off, right here, right now, just to feel that from my wife again." Castle revealed. "Maria, she'd fight dirty. She'd rip my heart out, tear it up, step on it, feed that shit to the dogs… she was ruthless. But she'll never be able to hurt me again. I'll never get to feel that again."
Annie swallowed a lump of bile in her throat, as Frank continued.
"You're sitting in that car seat, looking confused, but you have it." Castle told her. "You still have your family. You have everything. So hold onto it. Grip it with both hands, until your knuckles turn white, and you never let go. Because you won't know what you had until you've lost it."
Annie was about to respond, but the windshield suddenly shattered. Frank stomped on the breaks, putting an arm up to protect himself, and looked at the dashboard, seeing the shaft of an arrow poking out.
"Shit!" Frank cursed, parking the car on the curb. He and Annie got out, just as another arrow landed at their feet. Castle looked closer, seeing a cord attached to the end, and looked up, just in time to witness a man in a maroon vest, pencil thin beard, and a bow and arrow swoop down.
"How's that for an entrance?" the archer asked, as he landed on his feet.
"Eagle the Archer?" Annie asked, surprised.
"Yeah, that's me." Eagle grinned, before producing a folder from his suit. "Here, got something for you guys."
Annie took the folder and looked at its contents, her eyes widening.
"Holy shit, is this for real?!"
"Where'd you get this?" Frank demanded.
"The Church of the Collective's archives, but you didn't hear it from me." Eagle told him, before staring Frank down. "You might wanna skip town after giving your friends that, Castle. The Church wants your head on a plate."
"Why, I kill one of those assholes?" Frank scoffed.
"Actually, yeah. The Deep." Eagle revealed.
"What?" Annie stepped back in shock.
"The Church was working on rehabilitating him. They sent him after you guys to catch that supe terrorist last week." Eagle continued.
"Why are you telling us all this?" Frank asked. "What's your game?"
"The Church kicked me out when I refused to disavow my mother." Archer sighed, and he began walking away. "You didn't get that from me, yeah? You found it on your own."
Frank nodded, as he and Annie stood there, holding the folder.
Music: "The Rise of Ma Ma" from Dredd 2012
Dredd walked into the dining hall of Vought Tower, where a security guard began to approach him.
"You're not getting anything off me." Dredd growled, as he pushed past the guard and stood at the center table. The only man there, Stan Edgar, looked up, with a smug smirk on his face.
"I take it you have someone up there with a clean shot." Dredd mused, looking towards the glass.
"More than one." Edgar smiled.
"But then you must have anticipated someone would use that against you, which is why you'd make the glass bulletproof. Possibly shatterproof too." Dredd guessed.
Edgar's eyes narrowed slightly, before he regained his composure.
"Since your assumption is correct, let's cut to the chase." Stan decided. "You said you wanted to know where Homelander's son is, but I don't know what you mean."
"Don't lie, creep." Dredd muttered. "If Stillwell knew about his son, then you did. Grudd, you probably ordered Vogelbaum to send my Becca away."
"So that's what this is about?" Edgar asked, unimpressed. "You want revenge for what happened to your wife, Mister Butcher?"
"This is more than that." Dredd glared at the president of Vought. "That boy is your contingency against Homelander. Or one of them. I have the other."
"Ah yes. Black Noir. Where is he, by the way?" Stan asked.
"He's in a secure location. With me and my team." Dredd answered briskly. "Tell me where Homelander's keeping the kid."
"Homelander's an old friend. Why would I betray him?" Stan asked, smirking.
"Because you're a ruthless businessman." Dredd told him. "You took that bigot and fascist and turned her into America's sweetheart."
Edgar paused for a moment, sipping from his glass of champagne.
"I assume you're talking about Stormfront." Stan guessed. "She makes people angry. Angry people want Compound V. Compound V raises our stock price. I'd have preferred the V remained a secret, but we played the hand we were dealt. It's not ruthless, it's price per share."
"Perhaps you should look in the mirror, creep." Dredd sneered. "That drokker should bother you."
"Of course she does." Edgar muttered. He was wondering when the day would come, when that Nazi would finally rip his head off. "But it's not about me. I can't lash out, like some raging, entitled maniac. That's a white man's luxury."
"You're no better than her." Dredd muttered. "So it's all business, nothing more."
"When has it been anything different, Mister Butcher?" Stan asked.
"What makes you think you can control her?" Dredd shot back. "Now, you tell me where the boy is, and I'll get him away from Homelander."
"How?"
"That's my business." Dredd sneered, before pulling out a cellphone. Ever since he put his uniform back on, it felt so alien to have the small device, but it's not like the technology was advanced to have wrist comms yet. "When I have him, your men zero in on the location, call me, and cover for us."
Edgar sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.
"You have my word, I will ensure the safety of Rebecca and Ryan-"
"No." Dredd interrupted. "They both stay with me."
"But the whole point is that he's safe, away from the rest of the world until he's ready." Edgar protested.
"And how'd that work out last time?" Dredd asked. "This isn't a negotiation. They both come with me."
"What can you do that Vought can't?" Edgar raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
"That's not for you to know." Dredd sneered. "Tell me where he is, and I'll get him out."
Stan looked at the phone Dredd was holding, and sighed in desperation.
"Deal."
Dredd walked into the hideout and strode over to the cot of the hideout, finding Becca sitting there, her arms wrapped around her stomach, and looking down at the ground. Joseph felt a twitch of sadness, as she looked the same way to when she sat on that bench in the park for three hours.
"Becca." Dredd said softly, sitting down next to her and setting his Lawgiver to the side.
"Hi Billy." Becca murmured, still staring at the ground. She couldn't bring herself to look at the man she loved. Her eyes widened slightly, realizing she called him by his fake name. "Joseph. Sorry."
"You can call me Billy, if you want." Dredd told her, looking off into the hideout and seeing the rest of the Boys and Michael Myers walking around the hideout.
"They have him at a cabin up in Rochester."
Becca smiled, and looked up at her husband.
"Thank you."
Dredd looked towards his wife, deciding to finally ask the question that kept nagging at his soul.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Becca tensed a bit, and stared at the Judge.
"What?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dredd repeated. "About what Homelander did?"
Becca turned away again, with tears in her eyes.
"Because it was Homelander." Becca murmured. "He's the world's greatest superhero. The leader of the Seven. Because of who you were- who you are again- I thought you wouldn't believe me. I… I thought…"
Joseph heard his wife sobbing, and he didn't have to look at her to see tears running down her face. He knew what she meant. Back in Mega City One, he was always by the books. And that meant if someone reported a crime to him, he'd need rock solid evidence to convict a perp. He couldn't go off on a whim. But here, after he met his wife, he received a new outlook. His perception changed slightly. He would've seen in her eyes that she told the truth. She changed him… for the better.
"Becca, no."
Dredd wrapped Becca in a hug and squeezed tightly, stroking her hair to calm her down.
"I don't give a drokk if it was Homelander, the President of the United States, or the Gruddamn Pope. I would've believed you." Dredd whispered, feeling tears of his own pour out underneath his visor. He reached up, one hand still holding onto Becca, and pulled off his helmet, looking her in the eye.
"I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't confide in me." Joseph told her. "Grudd, I'm so sorry."
Becca looked at her husband, a small smile returning to her face. It had been the first time she had genuinely smiled in years.
"God I love your slang."
Joseph smiled back, and leaned in closer.
"And I love you."
Dredd and Becca kissed, closing their eyes for a moment, and allowed themselves to forget they were in a warehouse next to the Brooklyn Bridge. Forget that one of the most powerful beings on the planet was hunting them. Forget that-
"Joe."
Dredd opened his eyes, breaking off the kiss with his wife, and turned his head, seeing Frank standing in front of them.
"I see you and Starlight are back." Dredd muttered, putting his helmet back on. "What'd you find?"
"No witnesses." Frank grumbled, as the three of them walked over to the monitors, with Annie showing the rest of the Boys the folder from the Church of the Collective. "But we found a shit ton on Stormfront."
Dredd took the file from Annie, and flipped through the pages, his eyes widening as he read what was inside.
"Good work. Both of you." Joseph nodded in Castle and Annie's directions. He set the folder down, and looked at everyone standing there.
"Okay, getting Becca's son back is not your fight. I'm not asking you to come along-"
"Don't pull that crap." Diggle rolled his eyes, and stood up. "You've had us lie, spy, and do all sorts of messed up crap for you before you put that helmet and badge back on."
John paused for a moment, looking at Frank in a mutual understanding, before continuing.
"I wasn't there when Oliver needed me. I'm not going to make that same mistake again."
Dredd looked towards Frank and Dax, who nodded in agreement.
"We're in." Castle inputted.
"Of course we're in." Dax added.
Dredd turned his head to Allyson and Michael, who also nodded.
"You still owe me a shot at Stormfront." Allyson reminded the Judge.
"Yeah." Dredd nodded, looking at Becca and seeing her smile. "Let's get to work."
Music: "We Will Rock You" by In This Moment (Remix)
Diggle and Dax began to quickly load up weapons, while Frank and Annie began the process of taking photos of everything in the files and uploading them to the internet. Meanwhile, Dredd reloaded his Lawgiver, and he looked over to Becca, who had a pistol locked and loaded.
"What?" Becca asked, seeing a small smile form on Joseph's face. "You remember that range you took me to? I was a better shot than you."
"In my defense, it was a couple months since I fired my weapon." Dredd smirked. "But I made sure you had a damn good teacher."
"You know, I like your friends." Becca told him. "Especially Frank. He reminds me of you a bit."
"Look, Becks… you're not coming with us."
"Bullshit." Becca spat. "Ryan doesn't know you, he'll never come to you."
"It's too dangerous." Dredd insisted. "I don't want to lose you again."
"He's my son. I'm going." Becca told him. It wasn't a request.
Dredd slowly nodded, and turned to walk away, but Becca grabbed his arm.
"Joe… you're going to like him." Becca insisted. "He's sweet. Kind, caring. He's nothing like his father."
"Yeah." Dredd said softly.
"Hey, promise me, you will get him back." Becca all but demanded. "Swear to me you'll do it. Swear it on your brother's soul."
Dredd looked at her sadly, before wrapping her in a hug. He slightly shook his head at her request. He wouldn't swear on Rico's soul, he put him down himself, so he went with the next best thing.
"I swear to you, on my niece Vienna's life, I will get your son back."
While Dredd and Becca continued their embrace, Allyson walked up to Michael, holding her hands behind her back, and wearing a smile plastered on her face. Myers tilted his head; it had been a while since he'd seen her genuinely smile.
"I brought you something." she said, and held up her hands, revealing a blue mechanic's jumpsuit and his face. His real face.
Michael slowly took off his hoodie, and stripped himself of the black bodysuit underneath. Allyson handed him the jumpsuit first, and he stepped into the leggings, pulling them up over his shoulders and zipping the suit back up. She proceeded to give him his face back. His blank, pale, expressionless face. Just before he slipped it over his head, Michael stared into the eyes. The blackest eyes… the Devil's eyes.
Once his face was completely over his mask of flesh and blood, Michael looked back at Allyson, slowly exhaling. Little did she know, he felt a spark of happiness in his soul. Michael Myers was alive.
The Shape was back.
Allyson heard someone clear their throat, and turned around, seeing Dax standing behind them.
"I could, uh, use your help with loading the car." Dax said sheepishly. Allyson slowly nodded, but looked to the ground in sadness.
"What if it happens again?" Allyson asked. "When we face Stormfront, what if I freeze like with Cameron?"
Dax looked down as well, trying to find the right words.
"If there's one thing I know, it's that you can take care of yourself." Dax told her. "You'll know what to do, when the time comes."
Allyson looked back to Michael, seeing him slightly nod in reassurance. She turned towards Dax, and grinned.
"Let's go."
Stormfront, Homelander, and Ryan stood outside the cabin, staring at a plastic figurine of the Deep. They'd been trying to get the boy to activate his powers and burn the hunk of plastic, but nothing was working. Not even when Stormfront tried to get him to focus on someone he hated.
Just as Stormfront was about to push Ryan harder, her phone vibrated as if it was about to explode, and she checked her inbox. The moment she saw what was causing so many emails, her eyes narrowed in anger.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me!"
"What?" Homelander asked, confused. "WHAT?"
An hour later, Allyson and Dax quickly set up the pile of Vought issued speakers in the forest, far away from the cabin, while Michael stood a foot away from them.
"You sure this'll work?" Allyson asked.
"Of course it will." Dax smirked. "This is nothing compared to the raves Val and I were at in Toronto."
"You dance?" Allyson smiled.
"What's the point of life if not for dancing?"
Allyson grinned, but the trio looked up, seeing Stormfront fly away.
"Guys, she's on the move!" Dax said into a radio.
Stormfront flew past a hangar, which was where the rest of the Boys were currently waiting at.
"Yeah, I see her." Dredd spoke into his wrist comms, having tuned into the frequency Dax was using. "Are you three close? We need to get out of here now."
"One second."
Diggle, Annie, and Frank waited in one of the silver cars they took, while Becca was in the other van beside it.
"Holy shit, the news just broke!" Annie said happily, pulling up a phone to show live feed of news stations of showing Stormfront's ties to the Nazi party. CNN, Facebook posts, even Youtube videos were all condemning Stormfront for being a Nazi.
"Good." Frank murmured, while Diggle got out of the car to keep watch. "Her secret's out."
Dax, Allyson, and Michael rushed back to the hangar, just as Dredd got into the car with Becca.
"You ready?" Dredd asked his wife.
"Yes." Becca replied, wearing a determined look on her face.
"You look ready."
Seconds later, they all heard a faint whirring noise, followed by the form of Homelander flying through the sky.
"Now!" Diggle yelled, signalling for Dredd and Becca to go. Joseph stomped on the gas pedal, and the car sped off, barrelling towards the cabin. They arrived in less than a minute, with Joe and Rebecca running inside, guns drawn. Becca's eyes widened, seeing her son curled up on the floor, covering his ears and whimpering.
"Ryan! Ryan!" Becca shouted, pulling out a pair of headphones and sliding them over the kid's ears.
"Mom?" Ryan gasped. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean the things I said-"
"Hey, it's okay." Becca told her child, smothering him in kisses and wrapping him in a hug. "I have you back, that's all that matters."
"We need to go." Dredd announced, looking outside.
"Who's that?" Ryan asked, staring at the strange man in the red and black helmet, and gold armor.
"That's my husband." Becca smiled warmly, as she and Ryan went outside into the van.
Homelander touched down several feet away from the source of the ringing, seeing a mountain of speakers. The supe grit his teeth in annoyance, before lasering the small tower in half, not stopping until each and every speaker was destroyed. He was about to fly off, when he looked closer, seeing the brand name on all the speakers.
Vought Sonic.
"What the fuck?"
The Boys watched in confusion, as the silver van Dredd and Becca took rolled back up into the hangar.
"What the Hell are they doing back here?" Diggle asked, as Dredd walked out. "Joe, this wasn't the plan."
"The plan's changed." Dredd told him, as Becca opened her car door and got out. "Take the car, get them both to Mallory."
"What? What's happening?" Becca asked. "Where are you going?"
"Dig's going to take you to a woman in the CIA." Dredd informed his wife. "I need to go back there and finish this."
"Why? What did you do?" Becca's eyes widened in hysterics.
"I went to Stan Edgar to find Ryan." Dredd revealed. "I had him supply us those speakers, and any minute now, Vought security is storming that cabin right now."
Ten Vought security guards entered the cabin, beginning to sweep the place
"Mister Butcher? Do you have the asset?" one of the guards asked in his radio, just before he found a cellphone lying face up. Curiously, the guard went over to it, picking it up to see who the call was directed to.
The Creeps From Vought.
"Did I hear you say Butcher?"
The guard felt a chill run down his spine, and he turned around, seeing Homelander standing in the middle of the room.
"What's going on?"
All the guards trained their guns on Homelander, just as the dispatcher radio went off.
"Is Butcher there? Does he have the boy?"
Homelander calmly closed the door behind him, before facing the guards again.
"Where's my son?"
When nobody answered him, Homelander fired his laser vision directly at the guard in front of him, splitting him in half vertically.
"I said… WHERE IS MY SON?!"
"I'm not leaving you here to the mercy of that monster." Becca insisted. "Either we both leave, or we both go back. I'm not going without you."
"Becca, I have to go back and finish this." Dredd told her. Any minute now, Homelander might be done with Vought's guards, and while he wasn't crying for them, time was running out. "You raise the boy right. You drokking raise him right."
"No, Joseph, please come with us!" Becca cried.
"Becca, I have to do this." Dredd all but begged. "When I thought I lost you, I did many things I regretted. I was no better than the perps I'd sentence to death. I lost my way. When I found out you were alive, it only took me a few days to find myself again. You helped me return to the man I was."
Becca looked up at her husband, seeing past his visor to see a single tear form in his eye.
"I will see you again. I promise."
Dredd pulled his wife in close for a kiss. He knew they were out of time, but he wanted to feel her again, before he marched towards his likely death. The kiss was only a few seconds, but he felt it lasted forever, and Becca eventually broke off first, wiping away her tears. She quickly climbed back into the van, and Diggle began driving off.
Becca looked back through the rear window, watching Dredd's form disappear. She spared a glance at Ryan, as he looked nervous, and turned back to face the front, just in time to see Stormfront touchdown in a hail of lightning. Diggle stomped on the brakes, but it was too late, and the Nazi supe flung the vehicle through the air with bolts of electricity. The van flew several feet away, before crashing into the ground and rolling three times, coming to a halt upside down.
"BECCA!" Dredd yelled in fear, running as fast as he could towards the overturned vehicle. As Joseph sprinted towards his wife, the Boys walked towards Stormfront, who stared at them all, pissed off.
"There you are, you slippery little bitch!" Stormfront sneered, addressing Starlight. "I'm assuming it was you who sent those lies to the press."
"They're not lies." Annie shouted, as Frank took an LMG out of the car still in the hangar. Next to them, Dax, Allyson, and Michael began walking forward, ready to fight the supe.
"The pictures are clearly deep fakes, and you're a lying slut." Stormfront scoffed.
Across the field, Dredd ripped the van door with all his might, and pulled Becca out. On the other side, Diggle crawled his way out, and pulled out a pump action shotgun.
"Are you alright?" Dredd nearly shouted.
"I'm fine." Becca told her husband, before looking back in the van. "Ryan!"
Stormfront continued walking towards the Boys, and Allyson's eyes began to darken with hatred.
"People love what I have to say." Stormfront smiled. "They believe in it. They just hate the word Nazi, that's all."
Dredd jerked the backdoor open from the van and carefully pulled Ryan out, where Becca began checking him.
"Ryan, are you okay?" Becca asked frantically, as Dredd looked towards Diggle.
"Go. We'll hold her off."
Dredd wordlessly nodded, and he, Becca, and Ryan began running towards the forest, while Diggle went back to join the rest of the Boys.
"What about the truth?" Starlight asked, stepping closer to Stormfront.
"What truth?" the Nazi scoffed. "What is the truth?"
"Figures." Frank muttered. "People like you, Vought, you decide what the truth is."
Music: "Going To Hell" by The Pretty Reckless
Allyson stared at Stormfront with hatred, when all of a sudden, all her anger, all her rage, dissipated. In its place was a feeling of joy, and she began laughing.
"What's so fucking funny?" Stormfront snapped, as everyone began to stare at her.
Allyson looked over to Dax and Michael, and grinned.
"The truth is… I'm going to stick my boot up your Nazi cunt." Allyson smirked, taking a page out of Butcher's vocabulary.
Stormfront narrowed her eyes in annoyance, and prepared to throw a lightning bolt. Before she could, Starlight countered by blasting her with light, and Allyson charged, tackling her to the ground and pummelling her. Stormfront raised her hands, making Allyson grab her by the wrists, but she was too late to stop the lightning from crashing into her body. Annie kicked her in the face, but Stormfront rolled backwards and blasted her as well, sending Starlight sprawling on her back.
"Kid!" Frank yelled, as Stormfront began walking towards them. Michael got close enough to Stormfront, but when he attempted to strangle her, she easily stepped out of the way and kicked him to the side.
"The RPG!" Dax shouted. "It's our only chance!"
"Go!" Frank ordered, hefting the LMG and spraying bullets towards Stormfront. The bullets harmlessly ricocheted off her body, and Frank roared in defiance. The supe knew what he was doing though, and fired a bolt of lightning at the hangar. The lightning engulfed the rocket, and the entire hangar exploded, sending Dax flying on his back.
Allyson got back up, punching Stormfront in the face twice before delivering an uppercut. As the supe fell on the ground, Allyson grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her face into the gravel road, again and again. She then inserted her hand into Stormfront's mouth, attempting to rip her jaw off, but the Nazi reached up, firing lightning at her, and quickly spun her around in a headlock. Frank, Dax, and Diggle pointed their weapons, trying to get a clear shot, when Stormfront snapped Nelson's neck with a loud snap!
The Boys opened fire, showering Stormfront in bullets. The firing line was quickly ended, however, when Stormfront enveloped them in lightning, sending them flying. Annie tried to get up, still persistent in fighting, but she was quickly downed by a single bolt of lightning. None of them noticed that the form of a certain female member of the Seven suddenly landed in the middle of the field.
Stormfront advanced towards the Boys, anticipating the kill, when she heard a voice behind her.
"Hey, Kraut."
The Nazi turned around, confused, only to be met by a haymaker to the face. Stormfront stared up in shock, seeing the person who arrived was Queen Maeve.
Michael slowly walked towards Allyson, crouching low, when her eyes suddenly flickered open. With a painful snap, she reset her neck back into place.
"Michael?" Allyson asked, staring at his face. That beautiful, pale, expressionless-
Allyson jerked her head to the right, seeing Queen Maeve fighting Stormfront. From where she was, it looked like it was evenly matched. Time to change that.
"Michael… go." Allyson told Myers, pointing towards the tree line. "Help Dredd."
Michael tilted his head, looking towards the woods, and turned back to her.
"I'll be okay. I promise." Allyson insisted, wrapping him in a hug. Michael slowly returned the gesture, before standing up and walking off to follow Dredd and his family.
Maeve kept fighting Stormfront, punching her in the face and knocking her off balance. Annie followed up by cross jabbing her in the cheek, with Allyson finishing by completely body slamming into her. Stormfront fell flat on her stomach, and Maeve, Allyson and Starlight began to mercilessly stomp into her. Queen Maeve eventually pulled her up by her hair, only to continue the brutal beating. Stormfront got a lucky headbutt in on Annie, but that was about it, and Allyson punched her back on the ground.
The entire time, Frank, Dax, and Diggle stood there, stunned by what was going on.
"God damn." Dax mumbled. "Girls really do get it done."
"It my shit, you Nazi bitch!" Starlight yelled, as they continued kicking the shit out Stormfront. Allyson noticed her hands begin to spark electricity, realized she was attempting to escape, and thinking quickly, she delivered a kick to her jaw, sending her sprawling on her back.
Stormfront groaned, raising her arms to fire electricity, but Allyson grabbed her wrists. Without a second thought, she twisted outward, breaking the Nazi's hands and completely snapping the bones.
"Aw, can't do your magic hands thing anymore? How come?" Allyson asked mockingly, calling back to what Stormfront said when Cameron died. Stormfront screamed, and Allyson jammed her fingers into the supe's left eye socket, gouging the eyeball out.
"Open your eye." Allyson growled, when Stormfront squeezed the other shut. "You fucking open, you bitch."
Reluctantly, Stormfront opened her right eye, her good eye, and what she saw terrified her. Allyson's face was a blank, expressionless mask, and her eyes were black. Black eyes that were staring directly into her soul. Just like Michael Myers'.
Allyson twisted Stormfront's neck a hundred and eighty degrees, hearing the satisfying snap of her bones. She followed by ripping the head off her shoulders, carelessly dropping the body to the ground, and stood up, breathing heavily. Maeve and Annie stared at her cautiously, before Starlight noticed Frank standing there with Diggle and Dax.
"Are you okay?" Annie asked, running over to Castle and throwing her arms around him in a hug.
"Yeah kid. I'm good." Frank said softly, while Dax checked on Allyson.
"Are you alright?" Allyson asked, as Dax walked up to her.
"Never better." Dax grinned. Allyson smiled warmly, until they all suddenly heard what sounded like the sound barrier being broken. Everyone looked up, seeing a glimpse of Homelander flying past them, towards the woods.
Allyson looked back at Dax, her eyes widening in fear. Maeve looked towards the woods, and began to take off after Homelander.
"Oh God, Michael…"
Dredd, Becca, and Ryan ran through the forest as fast as they could, not wanting to stop for anything. As they continued running, Homelander suddenly landed five feet away from them, causing the trio to stop.
Joseph's eyes widened slightly, seeing the supe was caked in blood. So he massacred the Vought guards after all.
"Come here, Ryan." Homelander tried to say innocently, but as he smiled, Ryan could see blood in his teeth.
"Not on your life, creep." Dredd snarled, raising his gun arm.
"Armor Pierce-"
Homelander suddenly fired his laser vision, catching Dredd square in the chest. Maybe it was because the supe sounded tired, or he wasn't concentrating, or he wasn't even quite right in the head, or even Joseph's futuristic riot armor, but the blast wasn't nearly enough to go through him, and only knocked him on his back.
"Joe!" Becca screamed, before pulling out her pistol and continuously firing at Homelander. The bullets bounced off, of course, but she desperately had to protect her son.
"You don't like her Ryan." Homelander said crazedly, as he lumbered forward. "You belong with us."
"Get the fuck back!" Becca yelled. Just before Homelander got within reaching distance, a hand shot out and wrapped around his throat. The supe's eyes widened in surprise, actually feeling someone choking him, and looked up to see a man wearing a pale white mask. He used his x-ray vision, and what he saw behind the mask horrified him:
Beneath that mask was a pale, blank, expressionless face, and he had the blackest eyes… the Devil's eyes.
For the first time in his life, Homelander felt fear, and his eyes bulged.
Michael Myers kept strangling the leader of the Seven, but tilted his head, noticing his eyes beginning to glow red. The Shape placed a hand over his eyes, attempting to stop him, but Homelander shot out his laser vision anyway. The blast obliterated two of Michael's fingers, the ring and pinky on his left hand, and though it didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have, he grunted in pain. The Boogeyman let go of Homelander, who punched Myers and sent him flying into a nearby tree.
Homelander turned his head to Becca, who still pointed her pistol at him.
"You fucking bitch." the supe growled, standing up and walking towards her. He slapped the gun out of her hands, possibly breaking her hand in the process, and shoved her against a tree, his hand on her throat.
"Stop it!" Ryan yelled. "Please, stop!"
Dredd slowly got up, looking at Homelander choking his wife. His eyes widened behind his helmet, and lifted his gun arm, only to realize- he didn't have his Lawgiver.
Joseph cursed under his breath, and took out his daystick. He didn't have time to look for his gun. He had to save Becca now.
"Let her go!" Dredd roared, running up behind Homelander and repeatedly smashing his daystick into his back. If the overpowered supe felt anything, he didn't show it, as all his attention was focused on Becca.
"Look at me." Homelander grinned, as Becca began closing her eyes. "Look at me, when I tell you that Ryan is mine."
Ryan kept screaming for Homelander to stop, with Dredd still hitting him in the back with the daystick, and he was getting angrier and angrier. As he became more enraged, his eyes started to glow red, and a colossal beam of crimson suddenly exited, going straight for Homelander. The resulting blast knocked Homelander several feet away, as well as threw Dredd off his feet.
When Dredd came to, he slowly stood up, seeing Homelander struggling to get up a few feet away.
"I'm sorry Mom. I didn't mean to."
Joseph's eyes widened. That was Ryan's voice.
"Mom, I'm so sorry."
The lawman looked over to Ryan, and followed his eyes, seeing Becca gasping for breath, and clutching her neck. Blood was leaking out, and getting all over her hands, clothes, and the ground.
"No." Dredd murmured, running over to her. He knelt down next to his wife, and reached into his med kit. After pulling out the cauterization tube, and gently moved Becca's hand away from her throat, and squeezed the pink ooze over the wound. The substance hissed, quickly stopping the bleeding, and Dredd took out the mini staple gun, giving her two stitches, which automatically closed up on itself.
Dredd was on the verge of tears. He knew the field dress wouldn't last long. For all he knew, he was just delaying the inevitable.
"Joe."
The Judge looked down at his wife, who's eyes began to gloss over.
"Tell Ryan it wasn't his fault." Becca pleaded. "It's not his fault. He's good. Promise me you'll keep him safe."
"No, Becks, I'm not losing you." Dredd told her, applying pressure to the wound, despite it being already patched up.
"I'm sorry…"
Becca's eyes slowly closed, and her head lulled to the side. Dredd placed two fingers under her throat, feeling a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Thank Grudd.
"I'm sorry Mom. I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
Joseph looked back towards Ryan, seeing him cry. The poor kid was bawling his eyes out, after what he did.
"Ryan, it's going to be okay." Dredd told the kid. "She's going to be alright. I promise."
Ryan was still sniffling, as Homelander slowly picked himself up, looking at the scene before him. This man in the strange armor and helmet, who Homelander came to quickly realize was Billy Butcher, was hunched over his unconscious wife. Behind him was Ryan, still crying, and about a yard away from all of them was that man in the white mask, who slowly picked himself up from the ground as well. It only took a second for Homelander's mind to clear and make him realize this man, this being of pure evil was Michael Myers. Guess Stormfront was wrong in him not being a problem, but him helping Butcher of all people was a mystery in and of itself.
"Ryan…" Homelander called out, making everyone turn their heads towards him. "Let's go."
Homelander stood up, and reached his hand outward. Ryan stared at him, with nothing but hate, and slowly walked closer to Dredd.
"Ryan, come here." Homelander coaxed, as the lawman stood up. When Ryan was finally inches from Dredd, did he decide to speak.
"No."
Homelander wore a disbelieving smile, and began to maniacally laugh. Dredd grimaced, having heard that laugh before- in Mega City One. It was the sound of someone's insanity coming out.
"He's mine." Homelander insisted. "What, are you going to blow yourself up again, to save the little shit who almost killed your wife?"
Dredd nodded, and gripped his daystick tighter.
"I promised."
Homelander sighed, and stepped forward.
"Have it your way-"
"Stop."
Homelander turned around, seeing Queen Maeve approaching them. Even Michael stopped walking, and stared at her in curiosity.
"And what the fuck are you doing here?" Homelander asked.
"You're going to let them go." Maeve demanded.
"And if I don't?"
Maeve simply smirked, and held up a small gray rectangle, with a black orb on the end. She tapped it lightly, and a blue projection was activated, showing Homelander murdering Thanos and the Avengers.
"Let them go." Maeve repeated. "You're going to stop hunting Starlight. You're going to leave me alone. Or else, I release this."
"If you do that... I'll destroy everyone and everything." Homelander threatened.
"Great." Maeve scoffed. "As long as everyone sees the monster you truly are. No one will love you ever again."
Homelander's eye began to twitch, and he turned back to Dredd and Ryan. Seeing them that close… it was all too much for him.
Homelander looked up, and without hesitation, flew off, leaving Dredd, Ryan, Becca, Michael, and Maeve standing in the forest.
"Thank you." Dredd nodded to Queen Maeve, before looking at Becca. Even now, he could still see her shallow breathing.
"She needs medical attention."
Maeve nodded, and walked over to pick up Joseph's wife. Before she did, she handed Dredd the projector device.
"Here. Take it." Maggie told him.
"You said you'd only release it if he didn't leave you or Starlight alone." Dredd recalled.
"The world needs to see the truth." Maeve explained, closing Dredd's hand around the device. "They need to see him for the monster he is."
Dredd slowly nodded, and Maeve picked up Becca, one hand under her legs and the other under her back, and took off running through the woods. Out of everyone there, she'd be able to get to a hospital the fastest, even though she wasn't a speedster.
Joseph, Michael, and Ryan stared at one another for what seemed like hours, until the Judge looked down at his wife's son.
"Let's go home."
Ryan looked up at Dredd, a confused look dotting his face.
"Where is home?"
Joseph's mouth formed a tight line, and he said with uncertainty,
"I don't know."
Alastair Adana watched the news of Vought's press conference, seeing Homelander giving his speech.
"Thanks to the efforts of Queen Maeve and Starlight, Stormfront was neutralized. After learning of her Nazi ties, we are not sorry to see her go. I also apologize for the false allegations levelled at you, Starlight. Welcome back to the team."
Alastair smirked and shut off the television, just as his waiter came in with Eagle the Archer.
"Why'd you call me here, Adana?" Eagle asked. "I thought the Church excommunicated me."
"We did, but we discovered that someone went snooping in the archives." Alastair informed.
"And you think I did it?"
"Oh, I know you did it." Adana smiled. "I just needed you here, behind closed doors. Less of a mess to the public."
Eagle was about to speak, but his head suddenly exploded, showering the room and Alastair in blood and brains.
Adana sighed, looking down at his clothes. Damn, it would take hours to get the blood out. Alastair groaned, picking up a can of Fresca, and sat at his desk. Just as he was about to take a sip, a thundering gunshot was heard. The glass behind him shattered, and a bullet hole appeared between his eyes, coating the Fresca can in blood. Alastair's body twitched, before falling forward onto the desk, with his blood quickly spreading across the hard wood surface.
Music: The Punisher End Titles
Miles away from the Church of the Collective's Rehabilitation Centre, on a rooftop in Hell's Kitchen, Frank Castle slowly exhaled, seeing his shot reach its target. His finger let go of the trigger, as the bullet casing fell onto the ground, and he stood up from his prone position. Frank packed up his rifle and left the roof, making his way down the fire escape ladder, and disappearing into the alleyways.
Frank walked through Central Park, finding Annie sitting on their usual bench, overlooking the carousel. His eyes squinted, noticing her hand fiddling with a golden cross around her neck.
"So you found God again?" Castle asked, sitting down next to her.
"You have a way with words." Annie smiled, looking over to him. "If Butcher, Dredd, whoever he calls himself, can do the right thing, then there must be a higher power up there."
"You gonna be alright, still going to the tower, kid?" Frank asked.
"No." Annie shook her head. "But, if we jump ship, and let the assholes steer, then we're part of the problem."
"Yeah." Frank agreed. He looked over to Annie, a serious look in his eyes. "No matter what, I will be there for you."
"Thanks Frank." Annie smiled, wrapping her arms around Castle in a firm embrace. Frank returned the hug, and the two stayed like that, as the sun in New York began to go down.
Becca woke up in a hospital bed, looking around to see Dredd and Ryan staring at her.
"How did I get here?" Becca asked weakly.
"Maeve." Dredd grunted, as Ryan stepped closer.
"Mom, I'm so sorry." the boy cried out. "I didn't mean to."
"I know, Ryan. It's okay." Becca smiled.
"Mom, I'm scared." Ryan sniffed.
Becca mirthlessly smiled at her son, before turning to Dredd.
"Joe. My left pocket."
The lawman walked over to her clothes, piled up on a nearby chair, and pulled out a necklace with a silver pendant on it. He walked over to Becca, and placed the trinket in her hand.
"This is Saint Christopher." Becca told Ryan, showing the pendant to him. "My mother gave it to me to always keep me safe. And now, it's going to help keep you safe."
Becca placed the necklace over Ryan's head, and watched him stare at the image of Saint Christopher.
As Dredd, Becca, and Ryan stood in silence, the door to their hospital room opened, and Grace Mallory stepped in.
"Why are you here, Mallory?" Dredd asked.
"The charges against you and the Boys have been dropped… even the ones you did commit." Mallory announced, before looking at Ryan. "Vought's going to want him back, you know."
"I'll deal with Vought." Dredd growled.
"The White House is opening an office in Supe Affairs, with Victoria Neumann running." Mallory added. "She's seeking off the books funding for a team that will keep tabs on the supes. If you're interested, of course."
"No." Dredd told her bluntly, as he took out the small device Maeve had given him. "She does it her way, we'll do it ours."
"What's that?" Grace asked, eyeing the mysterious object.
"Evidence." Dredd's stony face broke to form a smirk. "That shows Homelander for what he truly is."
A/N: Okay, I was originally planning on writing two more chapters after this, but after watching the finale, I decided one more before the epilogue should be fine.
I didn't kill Becca off because fuck it, I like happy endings. I'm not going to kill her off, but I am planning on giving at least one of the Boys the axe.
Oh, I know Victoria Neumann was revealed as the supe with the head popping power, but I gave it to Alastair Adana because I honestly thought he was the culprit. Also, I have no idea what I'd do with Neumann in this story. Same with Adana, that's why I killed him off anyway, because the Church of the Collective had no real bearing on the show until the final episode in season 2, in my opinion.
The next chapter will be the finale of this story before the epilogue. I thought about lengthening it out into two more chapters, but I ran out of ideas, so I took everything I wrote and fleshed it out to be the same length as the previous couple chapters. It mostly combines some scenes from the Boys show that I haven't written in yet, as well as a couple elements from Judge Dredd and the Punisher.
Stay tuned.