Nolan sighed as he waited outside of the abandoned building, leaning against it as he watched the car, where Translucent was still struggling from inside the trunk.

"You motherfuckers! You're all dead, you hear me?!"

It was starting to grate on Nolan's nerves.

The reason he wasn't inside with Billy and Hughie was because Butcher had said that the guy they were seeing didn't like supes.

Considering Billy himself didn't either, Nolan failed to see why that had mattered.

As he was waiting for Butcher to return, he heard a notification coming from his phone. Pulling it out, he was surprised to see Sam texting him.

During his shift the day prior, he had told her about Butcher buying her a phone, leaving out Butcher's name of course. Her first response was almost immediately to give him her number.

"You gotta putting start contacts in that thing, don't you?"

Honestly, Nolan thought there was some hidden intent, but it wasn't anything bad, so he didn't see any reason to reject it.

He had memorized her number, perks of his Viltrumite mind, but he hadn't even gotten around to putting her number in his phone yet.

'Good a time as ever.'

He opened his contacts and added her number, before opening up her text.

Sam | You never did text last night :( |

Nolan | My bad, some things happened last night. |

Sam | Hero stuff? |

Nolan | Yeah |

Sam | Is everything okay? |

Nolan | It could be worse. |

Sam | What happened? |

Nolan | Well, first, I met the Seven. |

Sam | ! |

Sam | WHAT? |

Sam | How did that go? |

Nolan | Well, I made it clear exactly what I planned on doing, right in front of all of them. |

Sam | Oh my god are you alright? |

Nolan | Lol I'm fine. Homelander probably isn't happy though, and I know Translucent isn't |

Sam | I have to hear this. |

Nolan | So first off, Homelander tried hitting me. |

Sam | I'm gonna guess that it didn't go well. |

Nolan | Well, I caught his hand, and when he tried to laser me, it led to him getting curbstomped… |

Sam | Lol what?! |

Nolan | Yeah. |

Sam | What about Translucent? |

Nolan | Well, he tried attacking one of the guys that are probably gonna help me take down Vought. |

Sam | How'd that go? |

Nolan put his phone close to the car, where the sounds of Translucent pounding the trunk from the inside, as well as his cries of rage were easily picked up by the phone. He let it record for a solid 10 seconds, before sending it to Sam.

Sam| LOL OMG IS THAT HIM?! |

Nolan| Yep. He's locked in the trunk of a car right now. Gonna try and interrogate him with some guys. |

Sam| What do you plan to do with him after? |

Nolan paused, hesitating. He was unsure if he should tell her that Translucent was probably going to die.

Nolan | To tell the truth, it might be better if I don't tell you that… |

Sam | ? |

Nolan | Just trust me. |

Sam | …Okay… |

Nolan | So, how are you? Everything okay at the movie theater? |

Sam | So far. Nobody has done anything bad yet. Mr. Smythe went ahead and said that you'd still be paid for your full shift today. |

Nolan | Tell him I said Thank you. |

Sam | No problem :) |

Sam | Btw, I wanted to ask you something. |

Nolan | What's up |

Nolan stared at his phone, waiting for her to reply with the question. It took a decent while for her to reply. But when she did, Nolan was surprised at the question.

Sam | If your hero stuff doesn't get in the way, do you want to maybe grab a cooffee or something? Tomorrow? |

Sam | Coffee |

Nolan raised an eyebrow at the error in spelling, but as he read over the question, he was surprised. He didn't think she would actually ask him out, especially after her embarrassment over ogling him.

Smiling, Nolan sent a message back.

Nolan | Sure, so long as you're wanting coffee and not a good view. |

Sam | Hey! :( |

Nolan laughed at her response, when he heard Butcher coming out, along with someone else, while Hughie was completely quiet.

"Now mate, you gotta keep your head on when you see who's out here."

Nolan | I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. |

Sam | Bye Nolan :) |

With a sigh, Nolan put his phone away and turned towards the buildings entrance, right as Butcher walked out, followed by a short guy with a buzzcut, and finally Hughie, who had a small cut on his temple from the incident last night.

When the short guy saw Nolan, his eyes went comically wide, before he turned to glare at Butcher.

"You brought a supe here, Butcher?! Idiot!" He yelled, not at all happy with Nolan's presence.

"Hey, he's not like Vought's pets, Frenchie. He's helping me against Vought."

The newly named Frenchie looked at Butcher, surprised by the answer, before looking warily at Nolan. "You… don't like Vought?"

"Vought is a terrible company, and most of the superheroes it manages are pathetic scumbags." Nolan answer without a second thought.

"And what about you, grosse mustache?"

"Oi, Frenchie, You wanna hear a secret?" Butcher's voice caught Frenchie's attention, and he looked at Butcher with a raised eyebrow. "He's the real deal. Not like Vought's fabricated bull shit. This fucker is a real alien."

Frenchie looked at Butcher, eyes wide, before looking at Omni-Man. "Are you for real?"

Omni-Man nodded. "Real, and here to bring Vought down."

Frenchie was unsure of what to say to that, so he just nodded.

"Besides." Butcher walked past Frenchie, causing the frenchmen to look at him. "He's not who I wanted to show you anyway."

Frenchie followed Butcher to the back of the trunk, Nolan stepping out of the way.

"What is this?" Frenchie asked, looking at Butcher.

"Open it." Butcher replied promptly.

"Who is in there?" Frenchie asked. Butcher smirked.

"Where's your sense of adventure, Frenchie?" He asked, while causing the cattle prod to spark.

With a sigh, Frenchie opened the trunk, only to hear Translucent's screaming.

"You dumb fucks are fucking dead! Do you have any-AGH!" Translucent's ranting was interrupted by Butcher shoving the cattle prod into Translucent, causing Nolan to raise an eyebrow as it shocked Translucent into unconsciousness.

"How'd you know that would work?"

"The kid." He said, gesturing to Hughie. "Apparently his skin's carbon."

Nolan glanced at Hughie. "Highly conductive material."

Hughie smiled. "Exactly."

Meanwhile, Frenchie began panicking. "That's Translucent. You got Translucent in your trunk, huh?" Frenchie had a nervous, angry smile on his face as he looked at Butcher.

"Nothing gets past you mate." Butcher said, shutting the trunk.

Frenchie pulled out a gun out of nowhere and shoved it into Butcher's chin, only to have it yanked away a split second later as he watched Nolan crush it into dust.

"You want to explain?"

"Translucent's chipped!" He said, surprising Nolan and Hughie.

"What?!"

"Oh my god."

"And this fils de pute knows that!"

Nolan turned to glare at Butcher, not happy in the slightest.

"He has a goddamn tracking chip in him and you didn't tell us?!"

"We had time mate." Butcher didn't flinch under Nolan's gaze. "Besides, now he has to help."

Frenchie glared at Butcher. "And why is that?"

Butcher smirked. "Because he's seen your face, mate. We let him go, we're all burned."

Frenchie gritted his teeth, more than angry at Butcher. Nolan, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, is he here to help us interrogate, or kill him?"

"What could he know, that would be of use to us?" Butcher asked, raising an eyebrow at Nolan.

"Well, I would like to ask him about A-Train." Hughie spoke up, catching their attention. "Maybe he knows where A-Train was going when he killed Robin."

Butcher looked at him, and then glanced at Nolan.

Nolan sighed, and then looked at Frenchie. "Looks like we came here for no reason at all."

Nolan moved to the trunk, forcing Butcher to move as he opened it.

Translucent's voice immediately picked up.

"What do you want you son of a-HRK!" Translucent was silenced when Nolan's hand wrapped around his neck, and he was lifted out of the trunk.

Nolan glared, his grip not loosening a bit as he held Translucent in the air. "Show yourself, or I'll show you just what I can do."

Not interested in finding out what that meant, Translucent allowed his invisibility to fade, showing himself in all his naked glory as he tried to claw at Nolan's grip, fear written all over his face.

"What the fuck are you?" Translucent asked nervously.

Nolan narrowed his eyes. "Not important. Where was A-Train going the day he killed Hughie's girlfriend?"

"Jesus Christ is that what this is about?!" Translucent asked, shocked. "I don't fucking know where he was going! All I know is that he was coming from Popclaw's!"

Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes! That's all I know!"

Nolan looked at Hughie, then at Butcher and Frenchie. "Anything else you want to ask him?"

Hughie shook his head, and Butcher grinned evilly. "I think he's outlived his usefulness."

Translucent's eyes widened, and he began struggling even more, looking at Nolan with pleading eyes as Hughie looked at Butcher in shock.

"Kill him?! Why do have to kill him?!" Hughie asked, unable to believe this was happening.

"He's seen your faces, Hughie. And he won't hesitate to crack." Nolan glared at Translucent's sniveling form. "He'll sell you out in a heartbeat if he walks. It's the only way you can be safe."

Hughie looked at Nolan, and then turned around. "I can't watch this."

"I can't believe I'm doing this again already." Nolan whispered under his breath, before he cocked his hand back.

"No, wait! I'll give you anything you want! Money! Anything!" He was sniveling, whining as he turned invisible, thinking it might help him live. But it wouldn't.

Not against Nolan.

Nolan's fist blasted forward with unrestrained force, creating a mini shockwave as he drove his fist through Translucent's head, killing him instantly.

Hughie flinched while Frenchie jumped back surprised. Butcher, however, merely laughed.

"That's fucking diabolical!" He said, laughing as Nolan dropped the bloody invisible body, blood leaking down.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it so much." Nolan muttered, before turning to Frenchie. "I'm sorry you were stirred up in all this.

Frenchie approached the body, wide-eyed, before looking at Nolan. "You're really fighting Vought?"

Nolan nodded. "Yes."

Frenchie smiled, and then turned to look at Butcher. "With him? Count me in, Butcher."

Butcher grinned. "Alright then, mate."

Nolan sighed, and then looked at Butcher. "Listen, I'm late for work because of this. I'm sorry to leave you with the cleanup but I got to go."

"Not a problem mate. Go ahead, I'll get ahold of you when I have something new.

With a nod, Nolan blasted off as Butcher and Frenchie began cleanup, while Hughie sat on the sidelines, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.

After the incident with Omni-Man yesterday, Maeve could safely say that things were changing real quick.

It was kind of entertaining actually.

Vought was in a frenzy. Madelyn had rushed out in a panic, running straight to Stan Edgar's office to inform of Omni-Man, and Homelander's condition.

It didn't help that Translucent had been missing since the night prior, and they were trying to find out where he was, but his chip kept moving all over the place, and with A-Train too scared and Homelander unconscious, they really had no one to go retrieve him.

Looking back on it, it was kind of entertaining seeing Homelander get knocked out, but she was honestly too scared of the one responsible for that.

When she met Omni-Man, she thought he was gonna be her. Another Maeve. Another idealistic fool who would slowly become corrupted.

She didn't expect him to be so powerful.

Homelander was supposed to be the most powerful person on the planet. No boyd should've been able to beat him.

And yet, this newcomer who has only been around for a day curbstomped Homelander into the ground and knocked him out in one go.

Maeve wasn't sure what to think. Omni-Man did it so casually. And his declaration still sent shivers up her spine.

"Now you face a Viltrumite, who can, and will take Vought down, piece by piece, until Vought is no more."

What was a Viltrumite? Was it a more powerful version of a supe? Someone stronger than any thing a regular supe was capable of?

Whatever it was, Omni-Man was it.

And for the first time since joining the Seven, Maeve felt something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Hope.

The promise that there was something, someone, truly good in this world, with the power to change it.

And she wanted to help.

But she couldn't bring herself to try.

Because despite the power difference, she was still too scared of Homelander.

Omni-Man wouldn't be around all the time, and Homelander was still much more powerful than she was.

But maybe she could help from the shadows. Behind Vought's back.

If Omni-Man's words were anything to go by, he was going to damage Vought irreparably, making it impossible for them to do anything but go bankrupt.

He wasn't just going to take down Vought. He was going to destroy it.

She didn't have to be on the radar to do that.

But first, she had to find him first.

… that was going to be difficult.

But if there was a chance, of stopping Vought, and Homelander…

She'd be stupid not to take advantage of it somehow.

After all, with them both gone, not only would she find relief, but… Elena would be safe.

And that was all she could ask for.

A/N: Three chapters in one day?!

Honestly, I have had nothing to do today, and I'm enjoying writing this story too much. It definitely helps that chapters are much shorter compared to what I usually try to write in my other stories.

So, because of his involvement, Nolan pretty much eliminated most of the events of Episode 2. While he is trying to make a redemption attempt, let's be honest, he's not gonna be completely against killing. Especially not in this universe.

Yes, Homelander is still unconcious. Omni-Man wants him to know exactly how easy it is for him to destroy Homelander.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and as always, I'll see you in the next one.