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Normal POV
"Jesus fucking Christ Madelyn she killed Translucent! Tell me why I'm not up there ripping her spine out of her back!" Homelander boomed pacing in front of his boss's desk. Madelyn just sat there, fingers crossed over her lips as she observed the monitor.
"Technically he attacked her. The footage is as clear as day you've seen it." she said. Homelander scoffed waving his hand some.
"Fuck the footage. Translucent is dead!" he snapped. He didn't care personally about the dead supe, but more of what this could for his image, for the Seven's image. Madelyn shook her head watching the computer screen. Nothing could be done and this footage would have to be buried. She spoke with Ayana already and what she said confirmed the video footage.
"It's for the best." she concluded lowly. Homelander paused and looked at her wide eyed.
"What?" he boomed. She looked up at him.
"It was only a matter of time before girls started to come forward with allegations." she said and Homelander scoffed once more.
"And we couldn't pay them off?" he asked.
"That's not the point. Once girls come forward it doesn't matter how many we pay off, we don't even want rumors out there about a member of the supes being a being pedophile." she said. Homelander rolled his eyes looking away.
"Yeah tell that to Deep." he said. Madelyn shook her head.
"As long as those girls are the right age, what he does is not the issue at hand." she said. Homelander shook his head slowly looking at the wall.
"So what happens now?" he asked. Madelyn inhaled calmly.
"We hire another supe to replace Translucent. We bury that child raping son of a bitch and we go on." she told. Homelander sighed and shook his head some more looking at Madelyn with a lightened glare.
"And Ayana?" he asked. She leaned back giving a light smile.
"She's a victim. The story will be Translucent was involved in human trafficking, because technically he was involved in the pictures given to the traffickers. He tried to kidnap her." she said.
"And the sudden suicide by toilet?" he asked. Madelyn shrugged.
"Easy, you heard her screams and you came in and caught him attacking her so you had to protect her like a hero does." she said placing her finger on the delete button of her keyboard. Her screen went dark with only two words in the middle: File Erased. Homelander watched her for a moment shaking his head slowly.
"What is she? I know you know." he stated. Madelyn just continued to smile.
"She's just like all the other supes." she replied. Homelander tilted his head, his smile toxic.
"Why do I get the impression you're lying?" he asked. Madelyn grinned leaning back in her chair and shrugging.
"You want to know so badly, why don't you do a little digging and tell me what you find." she suggested. The blonde hero stared at her curiously, for once caught off guard by the sinister look on his boss's face. Homelander stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly.
"Maybe I will… I assume Translucent's funeral arrangements are in order, is family has been reached out to?" he asked. Madelyn nodded.
"They're being arranged now." she confirmed. The blonde supe nodded looking down at the ground before looking up at her. He then turned and moving from the room. Madelyn stared at the door as it closed before leaning back with an exhale.
She then picked up her office phone and dialed a number before putting the phone to her ear. After two rings Madelyn raised her head.
"We need to meet."
Ayana's POV
I sat on the bed staring off into space now as I thought about what I had just done. This was supposed to be simple. This job was supposed to be easy. But now things were more complicated than ever and now I felt targeted. I knew Homelander and the other supes knew what I had done. I killed one of their own. Now who knows what could happen. They may not have liked each other, but that doesn't mean they'd take the death casually. I wonder what Black Noir would do when he finds out. What was Madelyn going to do? She told me not to worry about it, but how could I not? This was perfect leverage over me that much I knew.
What was I capable of? Was it mind control? No I don't think so. But then again, Billy kissed me and Translucent killed himself because I said so. I've looked inside them before. Was that the secret? Can I form connections with those who I have looked into? I've looked into hundreds since I was a girl and never felt compelled to test my abilities further.
Slowly I got up and moved over toward my bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Nothing looked different about me. I looked down slowly at myself and then back up. I thought about Noir and how he always needed the darkness just to let me see into him. It's how he kept control of how much I got to see on him. I swallowed some and looked at the light switch. I raised my hand toward it ready to cut it off, when I heard a knock at my door. I blinked rapidly as I came back to reality and left my room all together. I moved over to my room to see it was Annie.
"Hey oh!" I exclaimed as she immediately hugged me.
"I heard what happened about Translucent. Oh my god are you okay?" she asked. I nodded patting her shoulder.
"I'm fine, Annie." I replied as she leaned back and looked me over. She sighed and shook her head.
"Just when I thought only one of the Seven was bad. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." she said mildly distraught. I winced wondering what she meant, but I wouldn't look inside Annie without her knowing. I couldn't do that to her.
"The majority of supes are not what they seem." I replied. But then again they were all created in a lab and they didn't even know it. Annie shook her head.
"What's going to happen now, you think?" she asked. I gave a gentle sigh.
"I don't know." I responded truthfully. She nodded and looked me over.
"Does Black Noir know?" she asked and I shook my head turning and moving back into my room.
"I doubt it. I'm sure one of the boys will send him a text in Iran." I replied. Annie's brows knitted in confusion.
"What is he doing in Iran?" she asked.
"We were working a human trafficking mission. Long story short I was on the list of victims to be thrown into the trafficking. Noir was sent to kill the person who was going to buy me." I replied. Her eyes flexed.
"Wow." she said. I crossed my arms.
"And Translucent gave them the pictures of me." I replied. Her eyes widened now.
"What the fuck!" she snapped. I nodded.
"A way of getting rid of me because I gave away his little secret." I replied. She shook her head.
"If Black Noir knew that he wouldn't have lived long then." she stated. I scoffed.
"I doubt he'd really care not after threatening me." I muttered lowly. She shook her head completely confused.
"Wait what?" she asked. I grabbed my phoned her the text Black Noir sent me.
"It was after Madelyn said I basically bound to this place. Black Noir didn't seem to have a problem with me being stuck here." I told. She winced and shook her head.
"You're in his head officially." she said and I glanced at her.
"And now I wish I wasn't. I can't let that go, what he said." I replied. She looked at the phone for a moment and handed it back to me. "You're going to have to."
My face jerked a bit in shock.
"What?" I croaked and she nodded looking at my sympathetically.
"Look you and I both know, nothing is calling Black Noir off you. You could be stressed and angry at his texts, but if you let it dominate your life you're going to be miserable." she said. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"So I just have to accept his threats whenever I don't agree with him?" I asked. She shook her head.
"You have him wrapped around your thumb more than Vought. He listens only to Madelyn, but now he sees you. That… man sees no one. You have leverage so many wish they had over him. Use that." she said and I shook my head still confused.
"How? I can't see into him? And what I have seen is not the same control that I have over others when I can just look at their eyes and just see them." I replied and she nodded looking around some in thought.
"He balances you out. The eyes are the windows to the soul and his are shut to you. You have leverage over everyone, but he has leverage over you because you can't see him." she said. "You know how many Black Noir fanatics wish they could be in your spot? You can't see into him, so try other methods to see into him."
I thought about her words for a moment.
"Why should I even try? Whatever we are to each other didn't start in a healthy manner that was for sure." I replied. She nodded.
"It's the only way to maintain your sanity while here. Because like Vought, he can win in whatever he wants. Show him he doesn't get to win you just because he's Black Noir." she told. I groaned inwardly knowing she was right. I know enough to know Black Noir was bound to me through his obsession of me. And that's what it was. An obsession. I was his favorite human and he'd never let me go if given the choice. Who knows what will happen when he returns. Now that Translucent is dead, I was sure to be watched closely now more than ever. I looked at Annie.
"I'll deal with him when the time comes. Annie, I have to figure out what happened in that bathroom. I need to know more about myself than ever." I replied. Annie nodded.
"How can I help?" she asked. I shook my head.
"Surely there's a file I can get on myself. I mean Vought has to have files on all their employees, right?" I asked. She nodded.
"Yeah everyone is allowed access to their personal files both supe and not. We all develop an archive after a year of being here." she replied. I inwardly cursed.
"I haven't been here that long." I replied before realizing something. "But maybe they still have a file on my father." Annie nodded.
"Let's go check it out." she replied. I nodded and we both left my room. For now this would keep my mind off of Noir.