Music: "Beautiful Crime" by Tamer
Three Months Later
Ethan stood in front of a gravestone, his baby daughter wrapped in his arms, as he looked down at the ground. The surrounding noises seemed to be drowned out by his grief, as the father read the name on the headstone.
Mia Winters
Beloved Wife And Mother
Three months. Three months since Mia died saving Rosemary, and Ethan was still racked with guilt. It should've been him that died to Miranda. Why her? Why did the world have to be so cruel to take her?
Ethan closed his eyes, thinking back to all those sleepless nights he's had, staring up at the ceiling. The times where he wanted to stick a gun in his mouth, blow his brains out, and be reunited with Mia in the afterlife-
Winters suddenly opened his eyes, looking down at his daughter. No. He couldn't kill himself. Not now. His child needed him, now more than ever. He needed to be strong, for her sake, and for Mia's.
And so with a deep sigh, Ethan looked back at the gravestone, kneeling down so that the top of the gray slab would be at eye level with him.
"Hi Mia." Ethan mirthlessly smiled. "Rose and I miss you everyday. We've been moving around every few days, thanks to Chris and his team, in order to throw Vought and the BSAA off our trail. After what happened in the village-"
Ethan cringed, as painful memories of his wife's death came forward. It was only for a second, but he could vividly remember Miranda plunging her claws through Mia's chest.
"After… after what happened, Chris assumed that no one would be happy, and he was right. Vought's pissed that two of its supes are dead, even though they apparently weren't working for them at the time. The BSAA's after us because Chris' team killed several of their members that night, including their own bioweapons. And according to Chris, your old job, The Connections, are also after us for destroying the Megamycete."
Winters pinched the bridge of his nose, looking over his shoulder to see Zoe leaning against an APC, patiently waiting.
"We're still in touch with Zoe. I know you didn't see her, but she and her uncle were there that night- in the village. She and her uncle joined Chris' team last year, and they're helping us lay low."
Ethan reached out, resting his hand on top of the stone, and bowed his head in a moment of silence.
"We'll see you again one day Mia. I promise." he whispered, before standing up and walking back to Zoe, who was wearing a casual black jacket with jeans.
"Thank you for doing this." the father smiled appreciatively.
"It was the least I could do, Ethan." Zoe replied. "You saved me from my own family. I just wish I could've helped you save yours…"
Ethan rested a hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting smile
"You've helped me plenty, Zoe. You and your uncle." Winters murmured, seeing her smile return. Zoe looked up, her face seemingly glowing, as she wiped away her tears.
"What say we get you and Rosie back to the safe house?"
Ethan chuckled, opening up the APC and climbing into the passenger seat, while Zoe entered the driver's side. With a key turn in the ignition, the vehicle roared to life, and they sped off, away from the grave of Mia Winters.
Saint Petersburg
Heisenberg walked down the busy streets, a cigar tucked into his mouth. After travelling around the globe, the metal manipulator finally settled in one of Russia's largest cities, at least for a while. Out here, The Connections couldn't find him, or if they did, they'd have a hard time. The BSAA didn't have a branch in Russia, requiring them to gain permission to conduct operations. And Vought… well, their reach was only in America, as Karl quickly found out.
As Heisenberg smiled to himself, he suddenly heard a squealing of tires, prompting him to turn around and see red car go barrelling down the street at an alarming rate. If his memory was correct, the vehicle was a Volga, but that didn't matter at the moment. What did matter was that the car was zooming down the road, straight towards a group of children that were crossing the street.
Karl's eyes widened, as he suddenly shot his hand out, concentrating on the magnetic fields. Just before the car hit the kids, it suddenly stopped, the tires still screeching. Heisenberg lifted his hand higher, and the car rose up several inches, causing passerbys to look over at the commotion in confusion.
The telekinetic bioweapon held his hand there, suspending the car several inches off the ground, until the police arrived. The moment they showed up, Karl set the vehicle back down, and turned to leave. No doubt there were people who saw that- who saw him.
"Damn." Karl grumbled. "Now I'll have to move again."
Castle Dimitrescu
Umber Eyes stood in the main hall of Lady Dimitrescu's castle, Elena Lupu right in front of him. Being inches away from each other, Rolando noticed beads of sweat on her forehead, her eyes slightly dilated. No longer was she the sheltered, yet battle hardened village girl he met months ago. But that didn't mean she wasn't nervous.
"Hey, it's okay." Elba said softly, looking into her brown eyes. "You'll be okay."
Elena continued staring at Elba in nervousness, her breath becoming hitched.
"Rolando, I… i don't think I can do it-"
"Elena." Umber interrupted, grabbing her hand and squeezing it lightly. "I believe in you."
Lupu's mouth was pulled into a smile, as she slowly closed her eyes. Just like they practiced.
"Now take a deep breath…"
Elena did as told, before opening her eyes, revealing golden irises. Brown hair began sprouting from every inch of her skin, while her body grew taller. Her fingers grew razor sharp claws, her teeth elongating into fangs, as the muscles in her arms and legs bulged.
Rolando stepped back, a proud smile on his face, as the werewolf stood before him, it's golden eyes glittering in triumph. Seeing Umber's smile made Elena burst with pride, before she mentally commanded herself to change back, her eyes reverting to their normal hue. The hair began to shed and fall to the floor, while her body itself shrunk down, her teeth and claws receding. Within seconds, the she-wolf was gone, the village girl standing in its place.
"It worked!" Elena wore a glowing smile. "I can change at will!"
"I knew you could do it." Rolando grinned back at Lupu. Elena looked deep into his eyes, feeling a spark within her, as she lunged forward, hugging his neck and pressing her lips to his. For his part, Rolando's eyes slightly widened, surprised at the sudden display of affection, as well as the young woman's strength without turning into the wolf, but he soon relaxed, eagerly kissing her back. The pair closed their eyes for a moment, feeling nothing but bliss, even if it was just for a few moments.
Eventually, the embrace came to an end, with Rolando pulling back first.
"Huh. You're a bit stronger than I remembered." Elba said curiously. Elena had a mischievous grin on her face, as her eyes flickered to gold for a second, before back to brown. She looked down at her clothes, which was now a black and brown jumpsuit, and smiled, seeing they didn't tear.
"Thank you, Rolando… for everything." Lupu murmured. "Including this."
Rolando smirked, eyeing the jumpsuit. Stark Tech sure did come in handy. Especially since that suit was made of the same elastic material as the pants Tony Stark gave to Bruce Banner…
Hearing the soft clicking of high heels behind him, Rolando turned around, seeing Lady Dimitrescu herself walking towards them. Had it been three months ago, Umber would've gone on the attack, shooting the tall woman with RAMRODS. Now though…
"Lady Dimitrescu." Rolando nodded respectfully. "Is there something you need help with?"
"Actually, there is." the tall woman replied. "Umber Eyes, isn't it?"
Elba nodded, though he tilted his head in curiosity.
"You can call me Rolando, if you want." Umber Eyes told her.
Lady Dimitrescu scoffed, but nevertheless nodded.
"Very well. But to that end, you may call me Alcina." the lady offered. "You have been here for months now. Such formalities are no longer required, I would think."
Umber nodded, as Elena gave him a wary glance.
"As you wish." he shrugged. "What do you need?"
Alcina stood up to her full height, as she straightened her large hat.
"I was hoping you would be able to help me navigate your… modern technology." she said slowly, with a perplexed look on her face. "After all, I did give you and Mister Redfield permission to redecorate. But I would very much like to be useful in my own home."
Umber Eyes nodded, understanding her reasoning, as he looked up at the stairwell.
"Might as well start small." Rolando grunted, walking over to the stairs and beginning to climb. Alcina and Elena followed soon after, as Umber took a left and came to a stop in front of a door with a sign that read "Communications". Rolando quietly opened the door, finding his squadmate Tubdra was already there, tapping away at a computer. The Hall of Joy, it was once called by Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters. Now, it was equipped with modern electronics and machinery, courtesy of Hound Wolf Squad, with some help from The Duke. The ancient Watcher still appeared occasionally, bartering goods, but he rarely ever talked about the nature of his kind anymore. Instead, he would cast a gleeful smile, laugh, and change the subject. It was almost like he was purposely avoiding their questions about what was to come…
Rolando shook his head, as he walked over to a lone computer, Alcina and Elena right behind him.
"Okay, right now, we're looking at a map of New York." Umber explained, pointing to a blue tinted map on the screen.
"I've been there." Alcina noted, staring at the map. "I wonder how much has changed."
"A lot, trust me." Rolando murmured, as he pointed to two arrows, one yellow, one red.
"That, is Alpha and Lupa." Elba explained, before trailing his finger several feet away, pointing to a red dot. "And that right there is their target."
Lupa. That was the name that Chris- Alpha- had given Bela when they started working together in taking down "supes", as they were called. Perhaps that was his way of saying she was part of the squad now. Having that thought caused a feeling to pool in Alcina's stomach, one she hadn't felt in a while- longing. Even though she didn't want to admit it, the tall woman briefly thought about what if she was part of that team, that family, too. Would she be given an interesting name like Lupa?
Lady Dimitrescu blinked herself out of her thoughts, as she looked at the computer in amazement.
"You can track their movement through that little screen? Interesting."
"Oh yeah." Rolando grinned, as he picked up a small device right next to the computer, which she heard was called an earpiece. "We can talk to them too with these."
Lady Dimitrescu's eyebrows shot up in surprise, seeing the tiny black pieces for herself.
"You just stick them into your ear, and you can communicate with them. They can talk with you too."
"Incredible." the tall woman gasped, taking one of the earpieces for herself. "And what are… Alpha and Lupa doing right now?"
Umber Eyes smirked, as the trio gazed back at the screen.
"Currently, they're tracking down a rogue supe." Rolando explained. "We haven't been able to completely identify them, just where they could be. Wanna monitor their progress, Adawolfa?"
Alcina was taken back for a moment, barely noticing that the soldier wore a kind smile, despite his partner Tundra's loon of bewilderment. Adawolfa… if Alcina's memory was correct, the name meant a she-wolf of nobility. Fitting, she supposed, and it most likely meant that she was gradually accepted as a member of their team. Something she didn't expect, but still welcomed.
"We shall." the tall woman nodded, placing the earpiece in her ear and shifting closer to the computer, watching the arrows get closer to their target.
New York
Chris and Bela walked down the darkened streets of New York City, observing the cool night air. After the defeat of Mother Miranda, Chris had gone straight to the Western Europeon Branch of the BSAA, demanding that they give reason as to why they would turn their own soldiers into bioweapons- and into supes, for that matter. Unfortunately, the organization that was meant to combat bioweapons- the organization that Chris helped found after the fall of Umbrella, had turned their backs on their original mission, excusing their deeds by citing that the world was changing. After half of all life vanished in the blink of an eye, coupled with the incident that some referred to as the "Anti-Monitor Crisis", the BSAA became convinced that they would have to adapt to survive. Hence, they had made dealings with The Connections and Vought.
It was because of the dealings that Chris found himself walking through New York tonight. He and the Hound Wolf Squad had left the BSAA in order to fight bioweapons without interference. Whatsmore, Redfield had dedicated the last couple months to personally hunt down any supe that was working for the organization, and eliminate them. Mostly, he'd have to put them down, but there were some that were able to walk away, after some convincing from Bela that the BSAA and Vought don't have their best interests in mind, and as long as they weren't in the middle of doing anything illegal.
Bela… Chris snuck a glance at the vampire walking next to him. In the past couple months, the bloodsucker had changed significantly. No longer was her skin a pale chalky white. After spending days on end in the sun, her tone had gained some color, slightly straying from its pure white hue. Her eyes retained their yellow glow, and she still kept that tattoo above her forehead, but her clothes were completely different. Instead of the flowing black cloth robe and hood, she wore a form-fitting black jumpsuit, not unlike Redfield's own under the trench coat, but with a kilt like skirt attached to the waist, and a hood that was part of the neck.
"You cold?" Chris suddenly blurted out, causing Bela to turn towards him.
"It's actually quite nice." Bela grinned, parting black lips and showing her pearly white teeth. "You know, we could just go off and enjoy it…"
"You know why we can't." Chris sighed, reaching into his coat pocket to feel the frame of his pistol.
"Oh come on." Bela playfully whined. "All work and no play…"
"Makes Jack a dull boy, I know." Chris groaned, rolling his eyes in the process. "I introduced you to that movie, remember?"
The Dimitrescu daughter chuckled, running her hand up Redfield's arm.
"That you did." Bela giggled, leaning towards Chris to plant a kiss on his cheek. Just before her lips touched his face, they both heard a roaring crash from downtown, followed by the faint sound of an alarm.
"That the one?" Bela asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Must be." Chris mumbled, checking his phone's GPS. "It matches the coordinates the squad gave us."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Bela asked, grabbing Chris by the shoulders. "Let's kick their ass!"
Music: "Butcher" from The Boys Season 1 OST
Before Redfield could protest, Bela dispersed into a swarm of flies, leaving her hands intact, as she essentially carried Chris closer to the sound of the alarm. Within seconds, they arrived at a bank in Queens, just as a figure hurtled threw a glass window. Chris felt the swarm suddenly stop, and he looked over his shoulder, seeing the flies coalesce back into the form of Bela Dimitrescu. Redfield gave her a small nod, before approaching the figure, seeing the they were of a man, with messy black hair and a beard to match, wearing a black trench coat like Chris' own over a Hawaiian shirt.
Billy Butcher. Chris' eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. He's heard stories of this man before- he used to work for Stark Industries in security, but after his wife was presumed dead, he seemingly fell off the face of the Earth. Since then, he's popped up on security cameras here or there, sometimes with others. What pissed Redfield off was the fact that he heard of an incident that took place back in 2016, days before the Sokovia Accords were ratified, where four individuals were found dead in the streets. The bodies were identified by the BSAA as Hugh Campbell, Marvin Milk, an unidentified man with the alias Frenchie, and a young woman named Kimiko Miyashiro. Upon looking at the CCTV footage, it turned out a man resembling Butcher's physical appearance was with them, and they picked the wrong fight with Teenage Kix.
Four people died on Butcher's watch. And here he was, trying to take on a supe by himself. He never learned. Did he even care?
"Uh, Chris… I think we found our guy."
Chris looked over to Bela, seeing her staring into the bank, and followed her gaze. In the middle of the small lobby was a man wearing a black undershirt and domino mask covering his eyes, revealing a head of cropped black hair. He appeared to be a foot taller than Chris himself, but the oddest feature seemed to be that his skin was slowly turning red. Redfield groaned, as he and Bela just found their target:
Behemoth.
"Oi!"
Redfield snapped out of his thoughts, looking down at Butcher to see that he addressed him. Billy smirked, while nudging his head up at the supe still in the bank.
"Are you done daydreaming, mate? Because I could really use some help against this cunt!"
"Who are you?" Dimitrescu frowned.
"Name's Billy Butcher." the man grinned through his dazed state. "And I'm thinking we're wanting the same thing here."
Meanwhile, Chris unslung the assault rifle from his back, aiming it at the supe and squeezing the trigger. Behemoth laughed, as the bullets seemed to bounce off, and his skin got redder.
"Bullets can't hurt me!" the supe grinned, as he appeared to slowly grow in size as well. "I'm unstoppable!"
Behemoth began to run straight for Chris, only for a swarm of flies to go straight towards him into the bank, causing the red man to veer to the side in confusion and bat at the air. Chris sidestepped, entering the building and still firing the rifle, while the flies came together as Bela once more.
"We'll see about that." Bela grinned, pulling out a pistol Chris had given her, as well as her old reliable sickle. Behemoth growled in anger, lashing out with his meaty hands, and Bela ducked, rapidly firing her gun under the supe's chin. Unfortunately, the bullets really did do nothing, as did her sickle when she tried to slice into his flesh. The blade merely glanced off, leaving nothing more than a red welt, making the supe bellow in amusement, kicking out and catching Bela in the chest. The supe soon frowned in confusion, as instead of flying backwards, the bug spawn only took a couple steps backward, before looking up at her foe in annoyance.
"Ouch." Bela muttered, before drawing her fist back and punching Behemoth in the face, hard. A loud crack! could be heard, and the supe staggered back, but otherwise, he wasn't harmed much. Hell, Bela wouldn't be surprised if the cracking noise was from her own hand, as it now felt like it was on fire.
"What part of 'unstoppable' don't you get, bitch?" Behemoth asked, picking Bela up by the throat and throwing her across the bank. Chris' eyes widened, seeing her fly past him, towards the opposite wall.
"Bela!" Redfield shouted worriedly. Just before her body connected with the plaster, her form dispersed into flies, coalescing on the ground to have her standing. Chris was about to smirk, right as he felt a powerful fist smash into his jaw.
Shit. He forgot about the immediate threat that was now right in front of him.
Behemoth picked up Redfield by the throat, making him drop his assault rifle. Chris choked, feeling his throat constrict, as he feebly punched the supe in the face. Despite his own Compound V enhanced strength, his blows did little against the red man before him. The fact he was losing oxygen wasn't helping him focus his strength at all either.
"So this is the famous Chris Redfield." Behemoth sneered. "You're not so tough after all."
The supe opened his mouth wide, leaning in towards Chris. Redfield widened his eyes, realizing he intended to bite his head off, when he heard the sound of high pitched buzzing coming towards them. A second later, the thousands of flies that accompanied the buzzing flew straight past Chris and into Behemoth's mouth, with dozens of them entering the supe's nostrils and ears. Momentarily stunned, Behemoth dropped Chris back onto the ground, making the soldier grasp his throat and suck in air. Once he could properly breathe again, Redfield looked up, noticing the swarm of flies was still forcing its way into the supe, as evidenced by the ripples under his neck skin.
Suddenly getting the feeling they were being watched, Chris looked back towards the bank entrance seeing Billy Butcher standing in the doorway, with one hand resting on the frame to hold himself up. Billy looked around the room, seeing that only Chris and Behemoth were there, but no Bela.
"What the bloody Hell?"
Redfield looked back up at the supe, seeing him look down at his body in sheer terror. As his breathing began to quicken, a fly suddenly burst from his cheek in a bloody squish, followed by another that flew out of his shoulder.
"What the fuck is happening?!" Behemoth shouted, as three more flies ripped through his skin. One came out his right forearm, the second bit its way out of his neck, and the third exploded out of his left eye, causing him to cry blood. Several more individual flies began to rapidly exit the supe's skin, as his body began to bulge and swell. Chris took note of the thousands of tiny ripples that were moving underneath Behemoth's skin, and he put an arm over his face to shield himself from what was about to happen.
With a final shriek of fear, Behemoth's body burst open, leaving nothing intact as the bank's walls became splattered with his blood, skin, and bone fragments. To Billy and Chris, it was almost like watching a balloon pop, making Butcher smirk darkly. Chris lowered his arm, ignoring the river of crimson marring it, and smirked when the flies buzzed around for a moment, before coming together to reveal Bela, casually licking the blood off her lips. Butcher raised an eyebrow, realizing that the woman with Redfield had caused Behemoth's body to explode from the inside.
"So much for being unstoppable." the vampire bug girl smirked, before contorting her face in disgust.
"But ugh… he tasted like shit."
Chris chuckled, walking over to Dimitrescu and putting his pistol away.
"That's my girl."
Bela grinned, placing her hands firmly on Redfield's shoulders, and leaned forward. Chris met her halfway, wrapping his own hands around her waist, and they slammed their lips together in a rough kiss that strongly tasted of blood. Redfield ignored it; he had gotten used to it by now, after months of chasing down supes around the country in situations just as bloody as this, if not worse.
Eventually, their embrace ended with Chris pulling away, only to swipe his thumb across her cheeks to remove the blood.
"Holy fuck!"
Chris and Bela snapped their heads over to Butcher's direction, seeing his face was now covered in blood.
"Fucking diabolical, that was!"
Bela smirked, taking her hands off Chris and stepping forward.
"Well, glad you liked the show, Billy."
Butcher wore a grin of his own, but it quickly faded, as he noticed Chris giving him the side eye.
"You don't look very happy to see me, Redfield."
"Perceptive, Butcher." Chris muttered. Bela raised an eyebrow, looking between the two.
"You know each other?"
"Something like that." Billy mumbled. "More like we heard of each other from mutual friends."
"Mallory." Redfield guessed.
"Bingo, mate." Billy sent Chris a glare that matched his own. "She makes a point to keep track of supes… especially the ones who worked for government agencies like the BSAA."
Chris turned his head to fully look at Butcher, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.
"You got something to say?"
"I'm already saying it." Billy growled, taking a step forward. "No way you're normal, if you can punch a boulder out of your way."
"You knew?" Bela asked curiously, widening her eyes slightly.
"Course I fucking knew." Butcher scowled, taking a step closer to Chris. "The CIA worked closely with the BSAA once those Extremis cunts were classified as bioweapons. Didn't take too long to figure out they had a few of you on payroll."
Bela continued looking between Billy and Chris, locking dagger stares at each other, until her ears perked up at a familiar feeling.
"Boys, boys." Dimitrescu chided, placing her small hands on either man's shoulders and forcefully pushing them apart. "As much as I'd love to see you two measure dick sizes, we should go. He's coming."
The moment after Bela finished speaking, the three of them heard a loud, thunderous noise. Billy's eyes widened, recognizing the sound of a sonic boom. Unfortunately, he knew who Bela was referring to.
"Fuck."
Bela giggled, shifting her hands to grasp firmly on the collars of Butcher's and Redfield's coats.
"Oh, relax. I can get us out of here before he even sees us."
Before Billy could ask how, Bela's form dispersed into a swarm of flies, leaving only her hands intact, as she flew out of the bank, carrying the men along with her. Butcher blinked several times, stunned that not only was he being carried by a swarm of flies, but they were barely even touching him, save for the hand on his collar.
Bela's swarm zigzagged through New York, coming to a stop at a park bench in Central Park, where Butcher felt the disembodied hand let go of him. Billy stumbled forward a bit, before turning around to see Chris straightening his coat, while Bela coalesced back into her human form.
"How'd you know he was coming?" Billy frowned. Bela simply smirked, as Butcher felt something crawling on the back of his hand. He looked down, seeing a large fly sticking to his wrist- the same kind of flies that Bela had turned into.
The fly playfully bit Butcher's hand, causing him to tilt his head in curiosity, noticing that it didn't draw blood. The insect suddenly flew back towards Bela, seemingly melting into her cheek.
"I always leave one out to keep watch." Dimitrescu grinned. "Just in time too. A second later, he would've seen us."
Homelander, wearing his blue suit with the American flag cape, strolled into the bank as if he owned the place, looking around to find the walls covered in blood and guts. Everywhere he looked was painted crimson, almost like a macabre horror film.
"What the fuck?" Homelander frowned, looking around the area. His eyes rested on the security cameras in the corner, the silent spectator of whatever took place. Surely, they could tell him what transpired.
The leader of the Seven walked into the bank's security room, seeing a computer monitor displaying four different camera angles. He wasn't the most tech savvy, but he did know how to sift through security footage from watching Anika in the tech room. A few keystrokes later, and the security footage was played back to five minutes ago, and Homelander could see four figures. One of them was easily recognizable, being the washed up supe named Behemoth. In one of his strength enhanced hands was a man in a trench coat, sporting a brown beard. Interestingly, this man looked almost exactly like that one soldier he met in Louisiana, four years ago, and it was almost laughable when his futile attempts to escape Behemoth's grips were rendered useless. What was his name again? And what was he doing here?
In the corner of the camera was another man in a coat, but he kept his head down the entire time. He knew there were cameras, and he was doing everything he could to not be identified. Smart move. But the fourth person in the security feed…
The Homelander watched a hooded person, whose figure was clearly that of a woman, step forward in the bank, just barely seeing a lock of blonde hair. Before his very eyes, the woman shapeshifted into a swarm of flies, which zoomed right towards Behemoth, forcing their way through every orifice. The supe in the feed dropped the bearded man, and moments later, his entire body exploded. The swarm of flies could be seen buzzing around, before coming together and taking the form of the hooded woman.
There were few things in the world that scared Homelander. After all, he was the world's greatest superhero. There was no weapon on the planet that could hurt him, and yet… this woman, if he could even call her that, gave him pause.
"So how long have you known?" Butcher questioned. "A few years? Your whole life?"
Chris scowled, looking off to the side.
"That's my business."
"It becomes mine when you cunts need to be put back in your place." Billy snarled.
"Is that what you were doing here?" Bela raised an eyebrow. "Robbing a bank was putting Behemoth back in his place?"
"Had to get his attention somehow." Butcher shrugged.
"And he would've killed you." Bela pointed out.
"I had it under control." Billy snapped, before softening his tone. "But you… I could use your help."
Chris whipped his head back in Butcher's direction, narrowing his eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
Butcher broke out into a grin, stepping forward and holding out his hand.
"I'm putting together a team. One that will take down the Seven, and Vought." Billy offered.
"Not interested." Chris scoffed. "We already have our own team."
"Wasn't talking to you, Redfield." Butcher retorted, still looking at Bela. "Whaddya say?"
Bela stifled a laugh, as she winked to Chris.
"Sorry, we're a package deal. And since he said no…"
"Oh come on. We'd be getting payback for what those cunts have done." Butcher pressed.
"Is that what you told Hugh Campbell?" Chris suddenly asked. "Or Marvin Milk? What about Kimiko Miyashiro?"
Butcher slowly glared at Redfield, letting out a deep exhale.
"They knew the risks." Billy murmured. "We just weren't prepared."
"And it cost you." Chris said harshly. "When my squad goes into the field, we make sure to gather all the intel we can, and we make sure to not have any casualties."
"Well, that would be a first." Butcher snarked. "With your past record, it's just a matter of time before they all bite the dust."
"At least I don't treat them like collateral damage." Redfield spat. Butcher clenched his fist, winding back and thrusting his arm forward… only for Bela to step in and stop the punch cold.
"That's enough." Bela growled, gripping her sickle tightly, as she brought it up underneath Butcher's chin. Billy simply stared her down, baring his teeth.
"I've faced worse than you and came out on top.'' Butcher sneered, addressing Chris as if Bela wasn't there. "I ain't scared of your bug cunt."
Chris made a fist of his own, preparing to take a swing at Billy, when he suddenly heard the buzzing of his earpiece.
"Alpha, you okay? You and Lupa went dark for a minute there."
"We're fine, Umber Eyes." Chris reported, as Bela let go of Billy's hand. "We just finished."
"What about the target?" Umber Eyes asked.
"Behemoth is eliminated. Lupa burst him open like a fucking pinata." Redfield told his teammate.
"Yeah, and we ran into a guy beating his meat." Bela snarked, lowering her sickle and earning a scowl from Butcher.
"You guys coming back to base soon? Adawolfa got a bit worried."
Chris and Bela frowned at the new name being mentioned, before quickly realizing he must be talking about Adawolfa. Interesting choice of name.
"Yes… we're on our way."
Chris ended the communication, as Bela grabbed him by the shoulders.
"I think it's time we left New York." Redfield decided, throwing a sideways glance at Butcher. "Be seeing you."
"Oh, I hope not." Billy muttered, just as Bela dispersed into flies and flew away, carrying Chris with her. Butcher formed his mouth into a thin line, watching the swarm getting smaller and smaller, before suddenly hearing the sound barrier being broken. He looked up, just in time to see the vague outline of Homelander's form zooming across the night sky, back toward Vought Tower. Butcher growled, making a silent vow in the night air.
"I'm gonna have you, you cunt. You're gonna pay for what you did to my Becca."
A/N: And that's it! Hope everyone liked this little epilogue chapter, showcasing all the characters and where they're at now! Just remember, they're all returning, one way or another.
Oh, and it's not a Boys fanfic without Butcher and Homelander in it, so I threw them in as cameos at the end. That moment where Billy meets Chris and Bela will be touched on in a later story too, and they will comment how Butcher's grown since then.
Until next time. Bye!