Nolan followed behind Madelyn as she led him to the Seven's Meeting room.
Hughie had left a few minutes ago. His heartbeat had slowed to a normal calm level out of nowhere, and he seems to have planted the bug, if the confident way Nolan saw him leaving out the window was any indication.
Madelyn had set up a meeting, and he could hear her grumbling under her breath the entire time about him. She definitely wasn't happy with Nolan's direction of things, but he didn't really care.
Not like it mattered either. When he was done with Vought, she'd either be out on the street or in a jail cell.
Two big metal doors mechanically whirred as they approached, splitting down the middle of the entrance and slowly opening as Madelyn walked inside.
In the room, Nolan saw the team he was supposed to bring down.
Translucent.
A-Train.
Starlight.
Queen Meave.
Black Noir.
And the worst one of them all. Homelander.
Homelander gazed at him, the same fake, though convincing, smile on his face as when Omni-Man met him yesterday.
"Omni-Man!" He said, jumping up from his seat and approaching him. "It's nice to see you again! You disappeared on us yesterday!" He remarked as he approached offering his hand to Omni-Man.
Nolan shook his hand, keeping up the facade, though ever since his meeting with Butcher, now he has to fight every instinct he has to turn the man to paste.
Instead, Nolan smiled back at Homelander. "Well, there were other people that needed my help yesterday." He remarked, glancing over at Meave, who sat in her seat next to A-Train. "Maeve."
Maeve smiled back at him, though it wasn't fake, it was more out of politeness than actual joy. "Omni-Man. Glad to see you again."
"So, Madelyn says you wanted to get to know us?" Homelander said, smiling back at Nolan.
Nolan nodded. "I'm uncomfortable working with strangers. If I'm gonna work with you all, I wanna know you, not just jump in and say yes." He explained.
Most of that was true. He just left out the part where he was also looking for weaknesses.
"What, like you don't know who we are?" Translucent snarked, and though he was invisible, Nolan could practically see the look of disbelief on his face.
"I know you're famous superheroes." Nolan spoke, slowly moving past Homelander and beginning to circle the table. "But I don't know you."
They all looked at him. "Huh?" Translucent asked.
"Let me ask you this. What do you know about me?"
"You debuted yesterday." Starlight's voice echoed through the room. "You stopped an armored truck that was being robbed, saving two boys in the process."
Nolan nodded. "Yes, and?"
Slowly, Starlight continued. "Afterwards, you went all over the country for a good few hours, stopping any crime you could, regardless of how big or little it was." She looked at him, slight admiration in her eyes as she spoke.
Nolan smiled. "Yes. Much like you, Starlight. Small beginnings, but helping and stopping any crime you possibly could." Starlight slightly blushed at the attention.
"Thank you." She said, smiling at him.
Nolan nodded, but then his gaze slid over all of them. "My point is, I don't know what any of you are really like." He clarified.
A-Train scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Simple." Nolan nodded without a beat. "I know what you act like in public. Your personas, attitudes, everything, all that bunch."
"But what I don't know… is what you act like behind closed doors. As yourselves."
The Deep looked at Nolan, raising an eyebrow. "Why would we act any differently?"
Nolan turned his gaze onto The Deep, staring intently at his gaze. The fish themed hero started sweating, under the intense scrutiny.
"Let me make a point, then." He turned his gaze to Translucent. "Translucent, you are supposed to be a noble hero, fighting for the innocent, protecting the weak, right?"
Nolan could see the floating glasses move up and down. "Yeah, what's your point?"
"What's noble about invading the privacy of a women's bathroom?"
The entire room went dead silent at his words, the atmosphere growing tense.
"Where are you going with this?" Homelander no longer had the smile. Instead, he had a stern look on his face, and he didn't look happy at all.
Nolan dropped his own act, and simply glared at Homelander. "You want every little detail? Or just the basics?" He said.
Homelander gritted his teeth, and he could practically feel everyone, even Stillwell behind him, tensing in fear at Homelander's anger.
"I don't think I like your tone." He said, aggressively approaching Nolan.
"I don't think I care." Nolan responded in kind. He turned his gaze to Translucent. "He has a history of sexual harrasment."
His finger moved to A-Train. "He obliterated a poor woman without a second thought last week, laughing about it, without a care for the fact that he traumatized a poor man and took her life away." He turned his gaze to A-Train, who was staring at him with hate.
"Fuck you man! I said I was sorry!" A-Train yelled, jumping to his feet. "I apologized to that guy today again anyway!"
"And what was that guy's name?" Nolan asked, glaring at A-Train.
"Fuck man, I don't know! I don't even remember the girl's name!" A-Train rambled.
Nolan gritted his teeth. "You apologized? You didn't even care. You did it to save face."
His gaze turned to Homelander, and he looked directly in his eyes. "And you, Homelander, are the worst of all."
Homelander's eyes began to glow red, but Nolan didn't react, continuing to glare.
"Does the name, Becca Butcher, ring a bell?"
Homelander raised an eyebrow, looking at Nolan. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Madelyn Stillwell tense up, shock and fear flooding her features. "Barely. Our old Digital Marketing Manager. Why?"
He could see the surprise in Homelander's eyes, but it was overshadowed by the slow building rage.
Nolan glared, unfazed. "Oh I think you recognize the name more than you let on."
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Maeve jumped up from her seat, glaring at Nolan as she yelled, but Nolan could see the fear, hiding her face.
She wasn't mad at him. She was scared of Homelander.
"We offer you a position on the Seven, and you come here to antagonize us?!" Translucent stood up as well, turning visible. "Who the fuck do you think you are?!"
Nolan took it in stride. "Someone standing in a room full of pathetic actors."
Homelander snarled, and his hand was coming towards Omni-Man's head in an instant.
Omni-Man caught Homelander's wrist in that same instant, glaring at him.
"You recognize the name, because you raped Becca Butcher." He growled, unfazed by Homelander's rage. He saw Homelander's eyes lighting up again, and Nolan's hand slammed into Homelander's face, before slamming him into the ground, cracking the marble floor. Before Homelander could even react, Nolan was standing again, his foot raised.
The last thing Homelander saw was the bottom of Nolan's boot.
Then he was unconscious.
Nolan turned back towards the rest of the Seven.
They all looked at him, slight fear in their eyes, looking between him and Homelander's unconscious form.
"You didn't invite me here out of the kindness of your heart." Nolan said as he began slowly levitating, staring at all of them. "You had no say in the matter."
His head whipped towards Madelyn, who was still staring at him, horrified. "Vought invited me. Because I'm not one of their heroes."
Madelyn looked at him, stuttering. "H-How did y-you-"
"I am not one of your science experiments. I am not, one of the idiotic psychos that you can control."
"Unlike these freaks you make…" Nolan gestured to Homelander as he spoke. "I am not human."
Nolan turned his gaze back to the Seven. "I never planned on joining your team. I was here to let you know, that you no longer face simple actors in scripted events." His face grew serious. "Now, you face a Viltrumite, who can, and will take Vought down."
He turned to glare at Madelyn once more. "Piece, by piece. " He slowly hovered closer to her, causing her to begin backing away slowly. "Until Vought is no more."
With one last glare, he blasted up, through the ceiling, the next floor, and the one after that, before barreling through the roof, and flying off, leaving Madelyn and the Seven with the knowledge that they have an enemy that can fight back.
Hughie sighed as sat at the front desk of the hardware store he worked at.
He had successfully planted the bug, but Nolan hadn't been able to leave with them. Probably because his circumstances were a little different than Hughie's own.
Hughie wondered if Nolan was going to join the Seven, as planned.
Something told him that wasn't happening.
He was a little disappointed when Butcher had dropped him off, ready to do more after the sudden ease with which he had planted the bug.
He was honestly surprised that he hadn't lost it when he was face to face with A-Train, but what could he do in the first place?
As Gary left the place, he caught the sound of someone catching and opening the door back up.
"Sorry, we're closing up." He spoke to them, only to grow confused when he heard nobody respond. He turned to look towards the door, and was somewhat unsettled to find nobody there. "Hello?"
He could hear footsteps moving along the counter, and Hughie gazed further into the store, confused when he couldn't hear them anymore.
"Who are you?"
The voice came literally from out of nowhere, and Hughie jumped up in fright. "The fuck?"
"Right in front of you, prick." The voice said, and Hughie had a sinking feeling that he knew who it was.
'I knew I would fuck this up somehow!'
Hughie was panting, terrified as little black button shaped object was lifted into his view.
The bug.
'Oh shit.'
"You think I wouldn't find this thing?" Translucent asked, tossing the bug onto the counter. Hughie's id badge was suddenly lifted up as Translucent read it. "Hughie." He said spitefully.
Hughie grunted as his badge was tugged on, slamming him into the glass countertop hard enough to crack it. Hughie yelled in fright as he was grabbed from the countertop and thrown into the floor.
"You pussy! I followed you from the fucking tower!" Hughie was lifted up off the ground.
"No, no, no!" Hughie yelled, before being cut off as he was thrown into the glass window, cracking it before falling on the ground. He groaned and coughed, slowly sitting up as he tried to catch his breath.
"Are you with that red and white freak?!" Translucent asked, getting aggressive.
"No!"
"Bullshit! Who's that guy you were with in the car?! Who was he?!"
Hughie stuttered, fear taking over, but he refused to give away Butcher.
"I don't know, he was just some Uber driver, okay?!"
That seemed to only anger Translucent, who wasn't buying it.
"Don't give me some bullshit! Uber driver." Translucent scoffed.
Hughie's heart jumped up into his heart when he saw one of the display TV's get ripped away from the display ledge and get lifted into the air, tearing from the cord as the stand crashed into the ground.
"You think I'm a fucking idiot?!" Translucent exclaimed, his voice full of rage. "Why'd you plant the bug?!"
"Please. Please, please, please!" Hughie was begging, terrified for his life.
"We're the Seven!" Translucent declared. "Earth's most mighty! Champions of the Innocent! Mother fucker!"
Hughie jumped, his ears ringing from the loud noise as suddenly, a car came barrelling through the front window and the door, barely missing Hughie as it slammed into Translucent, sending him flying through a couple counters and into the far wall.
Hughie looked over, and felt relief flood through him as Billy Butcher exited the car. "Sorry about the mess." He remarked. "You should fuck off, Hughie."
Hughie could spot a crowbar in Billy's hand as he approached Translucent. "Hughie, Run!"
Hesitantly, Hughie jumped up and ran through a door behind the back counter.
Butcher smirked. "Well, Well, Well, if it ain't the invisible cunt." With a grunt of rage, he swung the crowbar into the spot where Translucent should've been…
…only to hit the wall.
Looking over in angered surprise, he had enough time to realize what had happened before he was kicked into a twisting display, knocking it over.
Meanwhile Hughie was running limping towards the emergency exit, but he hesitated when he reached the door.
'I can't leave Butcher by himself.' He thought as he gazed back towards the front area.
With a sigh, he let go of the door and began making his way back.
Before the door fully shut, though, he could've sworn he heard a loud boom and what sounded like a high pitched noise.
Sonic boom.
He could only hope it was a good sign.
Meanwhile, Butcher was struggling against Translucent, duking it out fist to fist, even though he couldn't see his enemy.
Translucent had already gotten a few good hits on him. He was pretty bloody from the fight.
Though the fight was interrupted pretty quickly. Billy smirked when he heard a sonic boom sounding out in the night.
"You're fucked, cunt."
Translucent scoffed. "Right, what are gonna do?"
"It's not him you have to worry about Translucent."
Translucent froze, fear flooding his body as the voice from hours earlier fill his ears.
The man who stomped out Homelander.
Omni-Man.
Slowly, Translucent turned to look in the direction of the voice, seeing him floating there, arms crossed, his mouth pulled into a frown as he glared at Translucent.
Translucent didn't say anything, he just tried to slowly back away.
He felt horror flood through him when he realized that Omni-Man's eyes were following him.
Omni-Man knew where he was.
"You may be invisible, but I've dealt with invisible foes before, and you aren't nearly as tough."
Without a second to react, Omni-Man closed the distance, standing directly in front of Translucent.
"You should've stayed in the tower."
Omni-Man's fist slammed into his face, and it was the hardest hit he had ever felt, even in invisible form.
Hard enough to knock him out.
Despite not being able to see it, Butcher could hear Translucent crumple to the ground right as Hughie burst through the door.
Upon processing what he was looking at, relief flooded through Hughie as he crumpled to the ground. "Oh thank god!"
Nolan looked at Hughie. "You alright?"
Hughie nodded, panting. "Yeah."
Nolan turned his gaze to Butcher. "And you?"
"A little banged up, but nothing new." He said as he wiped some blood off his face. "So, what are we gonna do with him?"
Both Nolan and Hughie looked at him.
"What do you mean? Call your buddies at the CIA." Nolan said, raising an eyebrow. Hughie looked at Nolan, confused.
"CIA? The badge he showed me said FBI." Hughie informed him, causing Nolan's eyes to widen in shock.
Butcher looked at them both, and realized he'd been caught up in his lie. "Alright, so I'm not technically a Fed." He admitted sheepishly.
Both Nolan and Hughie balked.
"WHAT?!" Hughie exclaimed.
"You mean you have no connections whatsoever?!" Nolan exclaimed, unable to believe what he just heard.
"Now, I didn't say that. I do!" Butcher said, approaching the two. "It's just that… I'm not a fed."
"Oh shit, oh fuck…" Hughie was panicking. Nolan sighed, and rested his hand on Hughie's shoulder.
"Calm down Hughie, panicking isn't going to solve anything." Nolan said, trying to calm the man.
"How do I not panic?! We just got attacked by one of the most famous people in the world, and now he's sitting here, unconscious!" Hughie exclaimed.
"Look, Hughie, calm down." Nolan said firmly. "If anyone else knew, they'd be here. The idiot wanted to do it himself. We're fine for now." Nolan said, calming him.
Hughie was panting, but he was slowly calming down. "A-Alright?"
Nolan let go of Hughie. "You okay now?"
Swallowing, Hughie nodded. "Y-yeah."
Both Nolan and Hughie looked at Translucent, before turning to look at Butcher.
"So what do you propose we do?" Nolan asked, an eyebrow raised.
Butcher smirked. "Well, there is this french bastard I know."
A/N: And chapter.
Yeah, I was debating with myself, trying to decide whether to go ahead and have him join the Seven, or have him make it clear that he very much is someone who can stand up to them.
I feel like with this group of people, Nolan would make it clear he doesn't like them.
That's not to say that he doesn't like all of them. His kindness and words to Starlight were obviously legitimate, and his words were mostly focused to the rest of the inhabitants of the room.
And don't worry, we will get a fight in the future where Omni-Man picks apart Homelander, but that is very far off.
As for the fight with Translucent being what it was, considering he found the bug and didn't tell anybody, I didn't see why that little detail would change.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you all in the next one.