Nolan wasn't happy right now.
It had only been hours. Hours! That's how long he's been on this Earth.
And already, not only did someone know that Nolan was Omni-Man, but he definitely did not seem like the friendly type.
The man, dressed in mostly black, a trench coat which now dropped above his head due to being held by his foot, a black scruffy beard and piercing eyes.
Nolan was not intimidated.
"So, you know that I'm Omni-Man?" He asked, glaring down at this man, who scoffed.
"No, I think you're that cunt Homelander." He remarked with a roll of his eyes. "You broke out on the telly pretty fast, mate. It definitely doesn't help that you didn't wear a fucking mask."
Nolan chuckled. "In my home, I didn't wear a mask either when I was doing this. And nobody ever figured it out." He said, growing stern. "So what's the reason you tailed me, if you saw me land and knew who I was?"
The newcomer scoffed, and glared at Nolan, not an ounce of fear in his eyes despite his position. "You cunts are all the same. You think that because you're supe freaks, your better than everyone else." He growled, his eyes narrowing darkly. "But your all just a bunch of fucking monsters, never caring who is killed or hurt to get what you want."
Nolan could safely say that he wasn't expecting a response like that.
This man showed no fear, simply glaring at Nolan, gritting his teeth.
Despite his position, he truly wasn't afraid.
And he seemed to hate superheroes…
'Wait. Maybe I can work with this.'
Nolan looked down at the man,
"You think I'm one of Vought's jokes, don't you?"
That right there, got a reaction Nolan liked.
Pure and utter shock.
"What the fuck do you mean by that?" The newcomer asked. "All you cunts are Vought's little moneymakers. None of you actually do any good because want to, and any good you do is followed by a fuck ton of shite. Doesn't help that your 'origins'" The man made air quotes around the word origins. "Is all probably bullshite."
Nolan looked at the man, raising an eyebrow.
Before he was chuckling.
Then the chuckling grew to laughter.
Then the laughter grew louder as Nolan began boisterously laughing, legitimately amused by the man's words.
The newcomers eyes actually widened, and could feel him tense up, somewhat unsettled by the reaction.
"The fuck is wrong with you, mate?"
Nolan came down from his laughter, chuckling, before the newcomer grunted as Nolan switched his grip in a split second, and was now holding the man by his shirt, right side up.
"Let me make something clear to you." He leaned in closer, staring dead in the newcomer's eyes. "I am not one of Vought's petri dishes. I am not some joke, who sees popularity and fame as a tool for money."
The man listened intently, his eyes narrowed.
"When I put on my suit, it's because I hear or see someone in trouble. How many of these super animals save as many people as often as I do, as quickly and as efficiently as I do? Let me share a little secret with you."
He leaned in closer, his grip on the man's shirt tightening.
"I'm not from this universe. I come from one where superheroes and supervillains get their powers for real, not as test tube babies… My power doesn't come from some drug."
"Then where does it come from mate? Are feeding some bullshit about you being an alien?"
"Yes."
The man's eyes widened at the blunt response.
"I am not just recalling a script. I was born on the planet Viltrum. I can move fast enough to ignite the atmosphere, and what your… 'Homelander' can do? Only a fraction of my power."
He raised the man up, glaring.
The man glared back, unsettled, but still unintimidated.
"You really believe all that mate? Then prove it."
Nolan narrowed his eyes, but the man wasn't done.
"All of Vought's so-called origins are always fabricated better than a model's tits, and unless you give me more than that, I have no reason to believe you're just another lying self absorbed cunt."
The two men glared at each other, neither backing down at first, despite the clear power difference.
Then Nolan sighed.
"Fine."
Keeping a grip on the man, Nolan flew back down, quick enough to make sure neither of them were spotted, flying in the direction of an abandoned warehouse, landing inside.
He let go of the newcomer's shirt, and let him on his feet.
The man simply grunted, dusting off his shirt where he'd been grabbed.
Nolan narrowed his eyes. "I want to know your name before I give you my story. I don't trust you anymore than you do me, but we may as well get to know each other."
The man narrowed his eyes, before grinning. "FIne. Name's Billy Butcher, mate."
Nolan nodded. "Nolan Grayson."
Nolan disappeared in a flash, and reappeared with two chairs.
"May as well take a seat. This story is pretty long."
"Then let's hope it's all true."
So Nolan began.
And as much as he didn't want to, he told Billy everything.
All of it.
From Viltrum's society, to it's culling. His age, his mission, his life on Earth… His career as Omni-Man… His career as successful author Nolan Grayson.
He told him about the Guardians of the Globe. How they were good people. His best friends. How he slaughtered them all.
He told him about Debbie, and how she had accepted him immediately, eventually becoming his wife. And how he'd called her a pet.
And he told him about Mark. About how good of a kid Mark was, how helpful and kind he could be…
And how he'd been left beaten to a bloody pulp, by Nolan himself.
And Billy listened to every word. He grew more entranced by the story every second, his disbelief growing as he slowly realized that this was far too meticulous and well crafted for it to just be a story.
Nolan finished his story with the talk with Clockwork.
"Clockwork explained to me that the heroes of this world are just super enhanced humans, injected with a chemical known as Compound V as children."
Butcher's eyes widened. "So you're telling me that Homelander, A-Train and all those other cunts at Vought and the Seven are all really just human science experiments?"
Nolan nodded.
Butcher looked shocked, and then he grinned, the biggest smile Nolan had seen on him by far.
"You're here to bring down Vought, aren't you."
"So you believe me?"
Butcher chuckled. "Mate, Vought's good but they ain't that good. They wouldn't be able to craft a story as meticulous as yours."
Nolan watched as the man stood up off his chair, seemingly giddy at the information.
"We'll have to prove it, but this info could be the start of Vought's downfall."
"We?" Nolan asked, smiling slightly, an eyebrow raised.
Butcher looked at Nolan. "I won't lie to you. You're an alien that's over a thousand years old and from another universe, and from what it sounds like, you were quite the conqueror."
He sat back down in the chair, looking at Nolan. "I don't trust you as far as I can throw you mate, but you want to take down Vought, same as me. And considering your bloody history, the fact that I'm still breathing with all my guts on the inside is a step in the right direction."
Billy looked at Nolan. "I think we can help each other." He offered his hand to Nolan, who looked at it, puzzled.
Nolan looked up at Billy, and narrowed his eyes. "One condition."
Billy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, don't tell anybody your Omni-Man, mate, I know."
"No." Nolan shook his head. "I want to know your story."
At that, Butcher's eyes widened. "And what makes you think I want you to know?"
Nolan looked at Billy, unflinching in his gaze. "You don't. But you know my story. I want to know yours if we work together." Nolan stood up, standing a few inches taller than Billy. "I don't trust you either, but our stories are a sign that we're on neutral ground, regardless of our distrust in each other."
Billy looked at Nolan, his eyes narrowed. "Basically, a sign that we can trust each other on taking down Vought. But nothing else."
Nolan nodded. "Exactly."
Billy looked at Nolan for a moment. Then sighed.
"Alright, mate, I'll indulge you."
And another story was told. This time, Nolan was the listener.
And after hearing the story, Nolan could understand full well Billy's vendetta against Vought. It was maybe even justified.
Butcher's wife, Becca, had been raped by Homelander, and had gone missing not long after. Instead of being notified of what happened, Vought kept Billy in the dark, making him wait on a woman who may not be returning.
When he found out, he made it his mission to take down Vought, and to kill Homelander.
"Can you imagine what that feels like? To know your most precious loved one was raped? And to literally be powerless to do anything at all?" Butcher asked, looking up at Nolan, who shook his head with a sigh.
"No. I can't."
"That's another reason I tailed you, really."
"Huh?"
Butcher smirked. "Wanted to see how similar you are to Homelander, outside of your powers."
Nolan balked. "You thought I was a- what the fuck?!" Nolan actually couldn't process that idea.
Him? A rapist?!
Even Viltrum frowns on rape! Severely!
Billy laughed at his expression. "Like I said, that's just one reason."
Nolan looked Butcher, annoyed. "And the other?"
Billy was quiet for a moment, before sighing. "All your saves were quick, efficient, and you left before anyone could even try to interview you. Not exactly a normal supe MO. So, a small part of me, deep down, hoped that you might be the smoking gun we needed against Vought."
"You still think that?" Nolan asked with a raised eyebrow, causing Billy to chuckle.
"Think it? Now I fucking know it, mate. Besides, if I didn't have that feeling, I wouldn't have even walked up to you, let alone given you a chance to explain. I would've just assumed you were another piece a shit, and either blackmailed you, or tried to kill you."
Nolan chuckled. "Not that the last one would do any good."
Billy laughed. "Probably not. I'd probably have better luck beating Homelander with a pea shooter."
Billy leaned forward in his seat. "So, now that you know my story, is that a yes in working together?" He asked, offering his hand again.
Nolan looked at his hand, nodding. "Deal." He said as he shook Billy's hand.
Billy grinned. "Well Nolan, welcome to the boys."
Homelander was seething.
'That white and red copy cat thinks he can steal MY spotlight?!' He thought, staring at the image on the Seven globe monitor of the new superhero, Omni-Man.
After he interrupted his rescue of the armored truck, Homelander had been furious.
That was supposed to be his and Maeve's save! His time to shine in the spotlight! That was his attention being stolen!
How dare that copy cat take what was rightfully his!
"Omni-Man… I don't know who you are, but I will make you understand just who your fucking with."
"Homelander!"
Homelander turned towards the entrance of the Seven conference room, where Madelyn Stillwell was currently approaching, face set in a serious scowl.
"Yes, Madelyn?" He asked, turning to her with a frustrated look on his face.
"What can you tell me about this Omni-Man, from what you encountered?"
Homelander scowled, but complied with the question. "Other than the fact that he was a copy cat of me? He was quick to leave and refused to take pictures or interview with the media. Why?"
Madelyn sighed, raising a hand to her head. "Because he's an unmarked supe." She revealed, to his surprise.
"What?"
"I had Anika run a scan after Ashley was unable to to find anything, but no heroes were ever detected anywhere near the locations that this Omni-Man popped up." Madelyn explained, causing Homelander's face to warp to one of shock.
"You mean he's… not with Vought?"
Madelyn shook her head, feeling a headache coming on.
Homelander turned and stated back at the picture, slight discomfort welling up inside him.
'The Compound V I've been sending out… to create supervillains… is this Omni-Man… one of the results?'
He felt jealousy begin to well up inside him. How dare this pretender's debut go so well! Especially without spending time in a test tube!
'Why couldn't my debut have gone so well?!'
He still remembered that fateful day at the factory, when he killed so many people… and when Black Noir became his first friend.
He didn't save a single life! And this guy, unmarked, made from his genius, goes around saving people with no problem!
Oh, Homelander would do better. He would definitely do better.
He'll save more of these pathetic cocksuckers than Omni-Man ever could!
Then he'd kill Omni-Man!
"Unfortunately, because of his rate at which he's saving people, and the attention he's receiving, Edgar has ordered that if we get ahold of him, to offer him a spot on the Seven."
The remote in his hand was crushed as he twitches in rage, losing his temper. "WHAT?!"
Madelyn sighed. "I didn't make the choice, Stan Edgar did." She rubbed her head in frustration. "As CEO, he overrides any authority I have."
Homelander growled. He was expected to treat this cocksucker as a friend?!
"Fine." Homelander growled out, staring back at the screen while Madelyn walked off.
He'd play nice with the copy cat.
"I'll make your life a living hell, Omni-Man."
A/N: And chapter. I wanted to finish up this chapter before I move on to the time skip to the next day. I wanted to show Homelander's reaction to Omni-Man, instead of just giving it a mention. Also, I wanted to show how well Billy and Nolan could work together, considering they have each other backed into a corner, yet they have the same goal.
I apologize if it seems like they revealed themselves to each other a little quickly, But Nolan wants an ally, and Butcher wants a supe that he can't hurt on his side, who, to his knowledge, could be just as strong as Homelander, if not stronger.
Anyway, that's the end of the chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one.