This chapter isn't actually finished. It was very rushed and it's not even the chapter that was supposed to be out.

That was Issue I, which is currently sitting at 2.5k words. I just had this idea 6 hours ago and started writing and then I couldn't stop and it's 6 AM and now it's (mostly) done and I had to post it for you.

I'll probably add more to this chapter, maybe a thousand or two more words to it, and delete this version before posting a new one.

Enjoy.

Where The Heart Is: Issue # 0.5

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July 27th, 1986

Wall, South Dakota

Undisclosed Farm

Three Hundred Feet Underground

Fluorescent bulbs flickered overhead as three figures stared at each other, eyes shifting from one person to another as if in a weaponless recreation of a Mexican standoff.

For quite a long stretch of time, there was near-complete quiet in the laboratory environment, the two adults in the room seemingly trying not to be the first one to break the silence in the untouched sterile little room.

The little boy, on the other hand, was not so unsure of himself. "...hi."

"Now, someone tell me why in the hell he's in that goddamn monkey suit?"

The child shrunk back at the rough voice as it barked the first words it had uttered since the very moment its owner had stepped into the room nearly several minutes ago.

Wide blue eyes dropped to the ground to avoid the angered gaze of a pair of harsh green. The blonde five-year old shuddered as he took another step back, his hands clasping at the cape by his side as he tried to make himself look even smaller.

"Ben…" The balding man in the lab coat spoke up, hands raised as he gave the brown-haired frowning man an odd look. "Ben… come on."

"What?" The man pulled a face like he had just smelled something disgusting before scoffing in disbelief. He glanced around angrily at the room, seemingly getting angrier as he took in the white walls, floor, ceiling and annoying fluorescent lighting. "What do you mean, come on?"

With a shake of his head, the bearded man pointed a gloved finger angrily in Doctor V's direction. "Now, you listen here, kike, I got marchin' orders from Edgar to haul my ass all the way over to South Dakota because apparently, you had a big whoppin' surprise for me…"

"Benjamin…"

"Don't Benjamin me like you're my fuckin' dad, Vogelbaum," the bearded man barked again, hands clenching into fists as he growled his own name. "You think I don't already got enough on my plate dealing with these new fucking wannabes popping up every-goddamn-where. Vought apparently doesn't know a goddamn thing about these hippy-dippy shit-stirrers, preaching peace, love and brotherhood and flying around with not a fuckin' lick of V in their system, and how in the flying fuck is that possible, huh, doc?"

The little boy's head turned to glance back at the bald doctor as the man in the white coat sighed out loud, voice calm in a way that made it seem like he was used to the man yelling. "Ben, you know I don't know that."

"Yeah, looks like none of us knew shit. Vought, you, and apparently me!" Ben threw his hands up as he yelled the last word, the kid flinching by Vogelbaum's feet as the shield the bearded man wore on his hand came very close to smashing apart one of the lamps in the room. "Heavy on number three, especially when it comes to this rugrat you fucks have been hiding from me for the last five cock-sucking years!"

"Soldier Boy!"

The armor-wearing supe sniffed as Doctor V finally raised his voice, the shout almost a perfect mimic of the bearded man's manner of barking.

"... Sorry. I'm… I'm sorry." He raised his hands slowly as he repeated his terse apology, the words apparently struggling to leave his mouth as he gritted his teeth. "I've been trying to… trying to do better, I'm not…"

Soldier Boy's shoulders shook as he took in a deep, trembling breath, the man's fingers twitching violently at his side. "And look… I want to say that I'm… I'm sorry about the… y'know, the kike thing, too. You know I really didn't mean that. I'm not like that… Vogelbaum, it's just…"

Vogelbaum waved away the man's apology, a long-suffering expression on his face. "It's not really your fault, I understand," the doctor began with a shake of his head. "That first batch of American-made V was more of a hyper-enhancile than anything else. No real out there powers but… strength, brains, healing, testosterone, adrenaline…"

The room was tense for a few seconds as the bearded supe's expression went blank, his eyes wistful for several long moments. "You know, ol' Fred was surprised I didn't fuckin' explode, you know? He said the V he gave me was some of the most concentrated shit anyone had ever mixed up since he started brewing the shit. Man clapped me on the back and called me a fuckin' super boy. I miss him sometimes…" Soldier Boy's words trailed away as the man stared off at a wall, looking far older than his apparent thirty years of age.

Vogelbaum's gaze shifted as the man looked down at the still-confused child in the room for a moment, the boy staring back at him with wary blue eyes. With a sigh, the doctor glanced back to the other man as he nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, from what I read of his notes, Vought didn't expect you'd keep on getting stronger. And, with that strength comes more… well, more."

Soldier Boy's face twisted into bitter grimace before the man shook his head and tried to shift his expression, the smile on his face clearly as forced as they came. "The shrink's been helpin', though. Really been making strides with my team again, too. Noir and Gunner don't even flinch anymore, if you can believe it."

Doctor V stepped forward with one hand raised to give Soldier Boy a few reassuring pats on the shoulder. "I'm glad to hear it, Ben." The action was enough to make the bearded man shut his eyes and flinch with every moment of contact but he simply nodded before opening his eyes, allowing Vogelbaum to step back.

"Look, I'm sorry for coming in here like a mad dog, Vogelbaum," the younger-looking man said with a sigh, one hand cupping his mouth and thick, heavy beard as he spoke. "But could… could you just tell me why the kid is dressed up like a fucking pretty princess?"

Soldier Boy gestured with his shield in the kid's direction with those last few words, the man nearly growling as he did five-year old gripped onto his American flag cape even tighter as he tried to hide his body as much as possible behind Doctor V's leg. Doing so only made the bright colors of his patriotic outfit stand out in stark contrast against Vogelbaum's white clothing, even more so when compared to the shield-user's dull military greens, one looking like actual battle-armor compared to a child's costume.

"We're getting him used to the idea of wearing a costume," Vogelbaum admitted after a long moment of silence. "You know some supes have some odd hang-ups about that."

"Yeah, I was on a team with Mindstorm, don't I fucking know it?" Soldier Boy groused with a shake of his head. "The man refused to be caught in anything other than a three-piece suit even in the middle of fucking summer, that uptight asshole."

"We're simply nipping that in the bud early."

"Yeah, okay, I can understand that, sure," the short-tempered man began as he shifted his gaze back to Vogelbaum with a roll of his eyes, "but why in the hell is he wearing a cape like some kind of nancy boy?"

Vogelbaum offered a shrug. "What can I say? He likes it."

"That right?" Ben stared at the doctor, expression flat. "And that matters to you in the slightest?"

"Okay, fine," Vogelbaum gave in with a sigh, the man clearly not committed to the lie. "The real reason is that capes are testing well with audiences these days. On top of that, it makes flying superheroes look more heroic.

Soldier Boy raised an eyebrow, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "The kid flies?"

"On top of other things, yes."

"Well, I'll be…" A small smile spread across Soldier Boy's face as the thought seemed to roll around in his head. A moment later, the man turned his eyes back down to look at the boy in question.

Curious blue met piercing green.

Moving closer to the kid, Soldier Boy dropped to one knee and allowed his specially-treated Voughtanium shield to rest carefully on the floor as he locked eyes in earnest with the boy standing just barely a meter or two away from him.

Father and son stared at each other for several seconds, Soldier Boy's smile growing with every moment while the boy seemed to grow more confident, hands no longer holding tight to his flag cape like a security blanket.

On the other hand, Vogelbaum seemed to grow more nervous with each passing second until the man finally stepped forward, one arm outstretched. "Ben, I wouldn't look him right in th-"

Blue orbs flashed red and a lance of scarlet fire hot enough to warm up the room several degrees burst out of them faster than a normal man could follow, let alone hope to have a chance of avoiding.

Without warning, the beams of heat blasted Soldier Boy right in the eyes, the man's head snapping back as he let out a loud grunt.

"Eyes," Vogelbaum finished lamely, outstretched hand falling limply back to his side. "I wouldn't look him right in the eyes."

Soldier Boy lowered his head again, face and eyes entirely unburnt and unharmed despite the unexpected fiery onslaught. Even his beard wasn't so much as singed, surprisingly enough. The bearded man turned his head to the side to shoot the only scientist in the room a manic look, his smile wild and excited for the first time since he had entered the underground facility. "Whooooooo, boy! He can do that too? That's fuckin' amazing!"

Jonah Vogelbaum pulled a face at Soldier Boy's exhilarated words, an expression that told of hours of stress and sleepless nights visible all over the aging man's wrinkled countenance. "I'm glad you find that so amusing. We've lost at least a dozen staffers and a small platoon of nurses to those things, you know."

Soldier Boy scoffed with a shake of his head. "Well, then don't hire pussies."

"I'll make a note of that."

"Next question," the super-soldier said with a grin, his attention back on the kid as the boy began to climb into his shield, "what's the kid's name? Better have given him a strong one too, or I'll have to kick somebody's ass before they change it."

"Kick somebody's ass, he says," Vogelbaum muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Nothing," the doctor answered immediately. "Why don't you ask him?"

Soldier Boy grunted slightly before turning back to the kid in front of him. "Hey, kiddo," Vought's premier supe flashed a smile at the rugrat currently making his shield rock from side-to-side, a feat impressive for the simple fact that it that would have taken at least five grown men to replicate it and nowhere as easily, "what's your name?"

"Ummm…", the blond boy blinked for a moment before responding quietly, "I'm Johnny."

"Johnny," Soldier Boy tested the name on his lips, before approving of it with a smile. "You know what, I like it." He glanced over at the scientist in the room, a single eyebrow raised. "What's that short for? Jonah?"

"N-no, I wouldn't dare," Vogelbaum raised his hands. "Just John."

"Too bad. John's not enough." The supe turned back to little Johnny with a grin as he tousled the boy's hair with a single gloved hand. "Your new name's Jonathan Morgan Veder. That way, he can still keep John if he wants to use it for whatever. Vogelbaum, make it so."

"I'll get the paperwork through today."

"You're my daddy, right?" the newly christened Jonathan Veder asked innocently.

Soldier Boy's smile faltered at the question before rising back up full-force. "Yeah, you little rugrat, I'm your pops, no doubt about it."

"Okay," the young superhuman accepted the answer as quickly as any child would, before continuing on with another question, as any child would. "Where were you?"

"I… I… I was…" Ben shot a vicious look at Vogelbaum, hands once again twitching with barely-repressed rage, before he took in a quiet breath and focused back on his boy. "I was protecting the homeland, our great country, from all sorts of threats who want us to take us down."

"Oh. Like what?"

Soldier Boy blinked, unsure of how to proceed. "Like… like, the Russians, and… the Chinese, the Red Menace, you know?"

"Who are they?"

"They're bad guys, from…" Soldier Boy faltered, his usual lines for the crowds not having much effect on an insulated five-year-old, "bad guys from other countries who want to take us over and invade us, and make us into Commie cocksuckers just like them."

"Why?"

"Because we're better than them, and they hate that, that's why?"

"Why?"

"Because we're Americans, kid!" Soldier Boy barked, a clear note of exasperation in his tone as he tried to answer questions he wasn't prepared for. "We have freedom. That makes us better."

"Why?"

"No more questions, brat."

"B-"

"No." Soldier Boy hopped back to his feet, standing tall and towering over the now-smiling blond boy looking back up at him as he sat in the center of his father's shield.

Even when clearly exasperated, the bearded hero wore a curious look on his face as he smiled back down at the fruit of his loins. An instant later, he turned his attention back to the man in the lab coat, his face losing a chunk of its good humor as he stared at the other adult.

"Not exactly prepared for fatherhood, are you?" Vogelbaum asked sarcastically.

The supe let out a sarcastic laugh before he scoffed in the doctor's face. "Yeah, maybe I'd be more fucking prepared if some supes and labcoats hadn't tried to hide him from me."

"Fair enough."

Soldier Boy let out a sigh, his eyes flicking between the kid and Vogelbaum for a moment as the curious expression returned to his eyes. "Question for you."

"I could probably find an answer," the balding man replied absentmindedly.

"Who's the mother?"

"The mother?" the scientist coughed, shaking his head as he quickly turned away from Soldier Boy's angry green eyes. "Well, that's…"

"Where's that answer you promised, Vogelbaum?"

"No, of course, an answer, I…" Vogelbaum edged, the man taking a single step backwards.

"That fire from his eyes?" Benjamin Morgan Veder continued on, voice growing louder every second he spoke. "Is it Countess? You grab one of her eggs like you took my swimmers? Put 'em in some retard off the street to incubate the brat?"

The doctor coughed, hand to his mouth as he kept on avoiding eye contact with the powerful super-soldier. "Well, I don't think that's really important r-right now."

"Vogelbaum…"

"It's a matter of privacy. She asked not to be…"

"Vogelbaum." His voice was unmistakably a growl, something that seemed to vibrate through the small sterile room and through the bones of both other occupants.

The doctor sighed, one hand raised to rub his nose. "...fine. Just… just don't spread this around."