A/N: Well, it's been a while, and I've decided to upload chapters again. Before I do, I remember that I originally thought up this fanfic way back when the first season of the Boys dropped, but I just didn't know how I would write it. I had one idea, to set it only in the MCU and bring in the Squadron Supreme as the antagonists, with Frank Castle and his allies from his Netflix show being the main characters. Then I thought about just dropping them in the Injustice universe. But, in the end, I'm glad I stuck with Homelander and the Seven as the main antagonists.
Another thing: I'm not sure how much time is supposed to pass between the actual seasons, but in my story, the entire plot is over the course of a week or two. It might make sense later on, or not.
Anyway, here's the first chapter of the second half of this fic! Enjoy!
Music: "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones
Syria
Black Noir walked slowly, yet purposefully in the shadows, cutting the throat of a Muslim woman and catching the glass she was carrying, watching as her blood filled the cup. He tilted his head, as her body fell to the floor on the terrorist Naqib's compound, and gently set the glass next to her. Noir looked up, seeing two guards, and expertly threw a small knife into his neck. As he choked from the lack of air and blood loss, his companion looked around, but it was too late, and Black Noir grabbed him by the jaw and ripped the top of his head off.
Black Noir continued into the compound, reaching the room Naqib was in, with his back turned. Another Muslim, possibly his friend or brother, was speaking, but a stab through the back with his knife fixed that.
Naqib quickly turned around, hearing his friend die, and glared at Black Noir. He yelled something in Syrian, his body lighting up, and the entire top floor of the building exploded. The super terrorist smiled for a moment, before widening his eyes in horror, seeing Black Noir still standing, and alive. Severely burnt, with bits of his costume torn off, but alive.
Black Noir rushed forward, grabbing Naqib's head and ripping it clean off. He walked down the ruined steps and swiftly turned around, seeing a little boy cowering in his bed. He tilted his head again, before leaving, holding onto Naqib's head by its hair.
He wasn't sure why he let the boy live, as he was a witness. Maybe it was because he was young, innocent. Or maybe because of a memory in the back of his mind.
Black Noir saw himself in the closet of a child's bedroom, with little green lights flashing on the ceiling. A young woman, having blonde hair and wearing a white shirt with yellow sleeves, had opened the closet, where he slashed at her with… a kitchen knife? And whatsmore, it appeared he wasn't wearing his black battle suit.
The child in the bedroom had thrown off the covers and ran out of the house. Noir didn't bother with him, as the woman tried feebly throwing a chair at him, and tried to run. Instead, Black Noir had grabbed her by the ankle, and dragged her back into the room. He stabbed her twice in the back, killing her, before hearing a baby screaming. Noir stared down at the baby in the crib, pondering about killing it, before ultimately leaving.
Black Noir silently shook his head. Why was he getting these memories? And why now? He didn't appear to be wearing his suit in that memory, so it had to have been before he started working for Vought. Hell, it could have been when he was referred to as Michael, as that girl with the brown hair called him.
Noir sighed behind his mask. It always came back to that girl. The one who escaped the cage underneath Noodle Palace, and actually fought toe to toe with him. He thought he killed her, but he had seen security footage of her in that Vought facility, in Upstate New York. He supposed he should be thankful that she ended Doctor Wynn, even though he wanted to be the one to do it, but now, she was the only one who could give him answers. He had to find her.
"I'm on page one hundred thirteen: All superheroes from Vought will not answer to the US government. Private contractors and mercenaries don't, so why should we?"
Stan Edgar, President of Vought, told Secretary Singer, as more of the Department of Defense's staff sat around them in the conference room.
"But then who do they answer to in the field?" Singer asked.
"Same person as always: me." Edgar replied. "Subsection 16: we need a top secret Yankee White designation for Compound V-"
"Come on, Stan. Only one man can give the green light for that." Singer scoffed. "You want to walk into the oval office and start barking orders?"
"Hell yes." Edgar smiled. "Half our own heroes don't know about Compound V. You really want China finding out?"
"This one: Doing our best to minimize collateral damage. You mind putting that in stronger words?" Singer asked.
"Common language for cities like LA and Chicago." Stan shrugged. "Official casualty allowance is zero, of course. But, cone of silence… thirty four percent."
"One third… Jesus Christ." Singer gasped, mortified. Nevertheless, the department had no choice but to comply with Vought's demands, in order to use their supes in the military.
"I am on good authority that Black Noir has just killed the super terrorist known as Naqib." Homelander announced, standing in front of a glass coffin with nothing in it, as everyone in the cathedral hung their heads in mourning. The day had finally come for Translucent's funeral, and Homelander forced himself to look as sad as possible. In reality, he didn't care about the guy, he was just there to keep up appearances. "But sadly, that doesn't mean sacrifices won't be made. Proof of that is before us."
Homelander pointed to the glass case filled with nothing. Unbeknownst to everyone there, who thought it was Translucent's dead body being invisible, there really was nothing inside. Translucent was blown up, and there weren't enough pieces large enough to be properly laid to rest.
"Today we mourn Translucent, killed by the super terrorist El Diablo." Homelander lied, even though he knew who really killed him. "Before he left, he told me to find those super terrorists, and stop them. So I promise you, I will stop them. I will save you. I will do it for you, for America, and for Translucent. My friend, and brother."
The lights dimmed, and Homelander stepped away from the coffin, allowing others to pay their respects.
Music: "Big Dog Now" by Big Dogs
Frank Castle, now going by the moniker the Punisher, sat on a rooftop, sniper rifle in hand. For the past few days, he had been killing supes who murdered, stole, raped, or were just downright assholes. On this particular day, while everyone else was busy at Translucent's funeral, Frank was tracking down a washed up supe named Blarney Cock. It was just his luck when he found him wearing his old red and green costume, the emerald domino mask around his red hair, in an alley two miles away, shooting himself up with heroin.
"One Batch. Two Batch. Penny and Dime." Frank murmured, repeating his daughter's nursery rhyme. One trigger pull later, and the brick wall was painted with Blarney's blood and brain matter.
Castle wasn't sure how long it would take for Homelander to hear the gunshot, but honestly, he didn't care. He slung the sniper rifle over his shoulder, and walked down the fire escape. By that time, he'd be long gone.
Ten minutes later, Frank parked the black van in the garage of an old hideout he found near the Brooklyn Bridge. After they were all burned, the Boys couldn't risk the safehouse they had already used, especially since the CIA knew of it, so they had to split. Luckily, Castle had found this place shortly after rescuing them from the facility in Upstate, and Dax and Diggle helped him in lining the entire compound with zinc. He was even able to get David Lieberman's help on the low key to hook up a set of computer monitors in the middle of the base to every single camera in New York. Whatever happened on those monitors, they would see it.
"Back already?" Diggle asked, seeing Frank climb out of the vehicle. "So how'd it go?"
Frank said nothing, but gave a thumbs up. He walked up to the computers, seeing Allyson, now wearing a long sleeved black shirt, sitting in a chair, holding onto Michael Myers' mask.
"Hey, you okay?" Castle asked. Allyson looked up at him, her expressionless mask cracking for a moment, and she nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Nothing's come up." Dax told them, staring at the monitors.
"Great." Frank slurred out, reaching over to a coat and picking up his black jacket with the hood. "I'd better get going."
"Seeing Annie again?" Diggle asked.
Frank stopped, and looked him dead in the eye.
"Yeah."
"Just be careful, man." Diggle warned. "If something happens to her, it'll be on you."
"You think I don't know that?" Frank asked, raising his voice slightly. "We both wear a disguise. We use burners. We meet underground so they can't track her chip."
"Hey, I'm just reminding you." Diggle told him. Frank's mouth formed a tight line, and he slowly nodded, before walking outside of the compound. For this one, he didn't need all his gear, or the van.
Billy Butcher walked through the streets of New York, taking back alleys whenever he could. His entire world was unravelling before him. Becca was alive. Homelander knew where she was, and he had a son with her. He was now a wanted man, blamed for killing Stillwell, as well as his team were wanted.
As Butcher thought about everything that had happened in the last few days, he heard someone chuckle in front of him. Billy looked up, seeing a man in a leather jacket with shoulder spikes and a black helmet walking towards him. On the right breast pocket was the image of a skull and crossbones, and his helmet was covered with a visor that only went down to his nose.
"Well well. Billy the Butcher." the man smirked. Butcher groaned. What was this wannabe supe's name again?
Oh yeah, Gunpowder.
Billy nearly snorted with laughter, when he looked harder at the washed up vigilante. That helmet… it triggered a memory he had, long before he even met Becca.
"Guess I'll be getting the glory for capping your ass." Gunpowder snickered, before throwing back his jacket to reveal automatic pistols. Butcher dove to the side, as the supe began firing, and he hid behind a trash can.
"Oh come on, Butcher! Don't be a coward!" Gunpowder snickered. Billy glared at the vigilante, and something inside him snapped. As the supe was about to turn the corner, Butcher jumped up, uppercutting Gunpowder and smashing his forehead into his chin.
"Stay down, creep." Butcher threatened, dropping his British accent to a raspy growl and taking his guns. The vigilante attempted to get back up, and Butcher ruthlessly began unloading the pistols into Gunpowder's face. The bullets slammed into the flesh, making blood fly through the air.
Butcher stopped firing, only when the bullets ended, and Gunpowder's face no longer looked recognizable. Billy sighed, dropping the guns, and continued walking, making sure no one would see him.
Music: "Quiet Reflection" from The Punisher OST
Frank made his way into the subway tunnels, his hoodie up, as he entered one of the train's cars. He looked around a moment, before seeing a woman with blonde hair, wearing a blue hoodie and gold rimmed sunglasses. Starlight, or as he knew her, Annie.
The two of them sat down, looking towards the ground.
"Hey kid." Frank greeted. "Did you snap the SIM card?"
"Of course, Frank." Annie barely whispered. "No one followed me, I used a burner, and they can't track my chip down here."
"Can't be too careful." Frank shrugged.
"My God." Annie gasped, looking at Castle's face to see the bruises and cuts, as well as dark circles under his eyes. "You look like shit. Have you even got any sleep?"
"Eyes on the ground." Frank ordered, albeit softly.
"Sorry."
"Hey, I got a lead."
Frank handed Annie a piece of paper, and she opened it to reveal a scrawny boy with messy brown hair. Sealed at the top was the Vought logo, and next to it was an address for Bell Avenue.
"Hey, that's Gecko!" Annie said in recognition. "I knew him from those Capes for Christ conventions way back."
"Really." Frank said, one eyebrow raised. "Are you sure you're up for this then?"
"Yes, of course." Annie said quickly.
"Thank you." Frank nodded, and got up to leave the train, just as it stopped.
"Hey, Frank-"
Castle turned to look back at Annie.
"I can't stop you, from doing what you do, but will there be an end?" Annie asked, her eyes begging him to say yes. "So we expose Compound V, but what then? What will you do?"
"I don't know." Frank admitted, turning back towards the subway door.
"At least get some sleep." Annie pleaded.
"I will once you're safe." Frank answered, and left the train.
"Please, my baby needs a mother-"
"Shut your trap you stupid bird, or I'll bollocks ya!"
"And that is exactly what he did." Chris Hansen announced on A Closer Look. "With upwards of thirty pounds of C4, Billy Butcher blew up Madelyn Stillwell in her home, along with her baby-"
"Where is Butcher?" Dax asked, while Allyson sat in front of him. "What if he's dead?"
"I doubt that." Frank muttered, watching the television with Diggle. "He's too much of a prick asshole for that."
"Guys, look." Diggle pointed grimly. On the television were pictures of Butcher, Castle, Diggle, and Dax, with the number 1-888-0-CRIMES underneath them.
"Jesus, we have to get out of here."
"We can't quit." Frank announced, standing up. "We get Compound V, expose Vought and burn them to the ground."
"You got some of that V, Castle? Because I don't." Diggle pointed out.
"I'm already having Annie get some."
"Come on man, why are you still bringing her into this?" Diggle asked. "If Vought finds out, her head would be on a spike, and it will be on you."
"We're making sure that doesn't happen." Frank countered. "And she knows the risks as well as us."
Diggle threw his hands up in the air, and began walking off.
"Didn't you hear the tv? We're famous now!" Dax reminded everyone.
"Yeah, we heard." Frank muttered, and he went back to the computer monitors to make sure they were safe.
Annie exited the taxi and walked towards the Bay Terrace Inn, hiding between a door frame and waiting for her lead. She stared at Gecko's photo on the piece of paper, and looked up, seeing a black car roll up to the motel room right in front of her. An instant later, Gecko and a man in a suit came out, and walked into the room. Annie slowly walked forward, approaching the room and looking into the window just in time to see Gecko with his shirt off, his arm resting against plastic wrap. The other man had his suit jacket off and the shirt sleeves rolled up, and in his hand was a machete.
Annie quickly pulled out her phone, and began recording, just as the man swung down onto Gecko's arm. She could hear him making frustrated grunts, having to chop at the arm more than once, while Gecko himself barely made a noise.
"Holy shit! Thank you!" the man exclaimed, once the arm was completely cut off. "I get to keep the arm, right?"
"Just keep it refrigerated." Gecko told him, as his arm began to instantly regenerate from the stump.
Annie turned away and stopped the video, having what she needed. With the blackmail already there, she quickly left the Inn, setting her and Frank's plan into the next phase.
Music: "The Runaround" from The Punisher
Frank kept staring at the monitors, waiting for something to happen, until his eyes caught sight of a dozen or so people being led off a small boat.
"What the Hell?" Castle asked himself, zooming into the image. Once the sea of people dispersed, one last person walked off the boat, wearing a dark blue jacket and a gray hat. One man walked up to him, presumably the captain, grabbed his arm, but the one in the hat shrugged him off. Before the captain could do anything, the man in the hat raised his arms, lifting up the entire boat by moving his hands, and threw it at the other man, crushing him and instantly killing him, as well as destroying part of the docks.
"Fuck!" Frank cursed, gaining the attention of Diggle, Dax, and Allyson. "We got a super terrorist!"
As Frank zoomed in on the footage of the man running, Allyson leaned in close, just in time to see his face when he looked up at a camera. Her eyes widened. Despite the hat covering his head, some of his hair stuck out, and she knew those dirty blonde curls anywhere.
"What is it?" Dax asked, noticing Allyson's expression. She looked over to Dax, realizing she wore a look of recognition, and took a deep breath, returning to the blank, expressionless mask.
"We gotta do something." Frank declared, stepping away from the monitors.
"How about we call 911?" Diggle asked snidely.
"An anonymous tip? That'll go great." Castle snarked.
"How about we call Butcher?" Dax suggested.
"No, fuck Butcher." Frank snarled. "He abandoned us. He left his team when we needed him the most, and went AWOL."
"Then what? Call Annie? Or Starlight, because that's who she is?" Diggle asked. "Did it ever occur to you that that's what Vought wants you to do? Praying for you to do?"
"We've been careful." Frank insisted.
"That's crap! They could be watching us now!" Diggle shouted. "I swear, if I don't get to see my wife and kids ever again, I will end you."
"You've been walking around the last few days wanting to kick my ass." Frank glowered at the other soldier. "So come on, Dig. Let's do it!"
Diggle sighed, backing up and taking a deep breath.
"I don't want to kick your ass, Frank." Diggle confessed. "I just want to get back to my family… while I still can. Just please, let someone else handle this."
"There is no one else." Frank pointed out. "Vought has their fingers in the pockets of the police, and in the CIA. They're all in on this. The Avengers are gone. Superman is dead, so is his cousin. There's no one coming to save us. Dig, you used to fight alongside the Green Arrow and the Flash-"
"And Oliver is dead!" Diggle yelled. "And Barry can barely support himself, let alone Iris and baby Nora. You don't get it Frank. You're not a soldier anymore. You work at Lieberman's electronic store. You're war is over-"
"You're wrong." Frank interrupted. "I have no job anymore, after what happened with Translucent. Yeah, Lieberman helped us out with the security, but that was it. I have no family. No Maria, or Lisa, or little Frankie. Even Russo left. This is all I have left now."
Diggle stood there in shock, staring at Frank in pity.
"I'm sorry man." Diggle apologized. "I didn't mean for that to come up."
Frank slowly exhaled, and nodded.
"Now, I have a plan going." Frank revealed. "We see Rawlins for help. Not the CIA, Rawlins."
Diggle looked down at the ground, before looking up at Frank and slowly nodding in agreement.
The next day, Annie walked into the diner, seeing Gecko eating in a corner, and quietly walked over to him.
"Gecko?" Annie asked, pretending to not notice him. "Is that really you?"
"Starlight?" Gecko looked up. "Look at you! It's been a while! So you're in the Seven now!"
"Yeah." Annie smiled, sitting down in the booth, while a waitress came by and poured coffee.
"You know, I work at Vought Tower." Gecko told her. "I'm on one of the lower levels though. But, what's the Seven like? I heard they're great guys, always saving the day and stuff."
"Yeah, that's what Vought likes to market." Annie said glumly. "But in the end, it's all lies."
"What does that mean?" Gecko asked, curious. Annie looked up at him, realizing what she said, and changed the subject.
"I need a favor." she said slowly, reaching into her purse and taking out her phone. "I need you to go into the labs on 67th and steal a sample of Compound V."
"What's Compound V?" Gecko asked, oblivious.
"Another lie." Annie sighed. "I know how we're made, and it's not because we're chosen by God."
"I can't." Gecko told her. "I'm just a lab rat. They cut off my limbs, and they grow back."
"You'll have to. Or this-"
Annie played the video of the man in the suit chopping off Gecko's arm. This was the same tactic Frank had used on Ezekiel last week, which didn't give her any comfort.
"-Goes on Facebook tonight. Former teen star Gecko, having a side hustle as an S&M hooker? News outlets will have a field day."
"Annie, I thought we were friends." Gecko pleaded.
"I'm sorry, but we're not anything." Annie replied sadly, staring down into her coffee.
"Frank, I know you still see Annie like a pseudo daughter, but you can't keep pushing her like this." Diggle told Castle, as they were driving.
"What do you mean?" the Punisher asked.
"I mean, you can't keep calling her up, and having her do favors." Diggle told her. "You keep pushing, she'll end up further and further into the meat grinder. Trust me, I know."
Frank didn't answer, and opted to stare out the window, until they arrived at their destination.
Ten minutes later, Diggle parked the black van under a large billboard, advertising Vought's "Dawn of the Seven" movie. A black car was already there, with Rawlins leaning against the driver's door.
"How are you holding up?" Rawlins asked, as Frank, Diggle, and Dax got out, leaving Allyson watching from the passenger window.
"Fine." Frank muttered.
"Heard from Butcher?"
"No." Frank shook his head. "He's gone AWOL."
"You think he killed Madelyn Stillwell?"
"Wouldn't blame him if he did." Castle shrugged. "I would've done it myself. But something's not right though. The baby was found miles away, unharmed? And Butcher's still alive, even, by Homelander's own admission, he was an arm's length away? That reeks of bullshit."
"Director." Diggle stepped forward. "Do you still-"
"Keep an eye on your family?" Rawlins finished. "Yes, from time to time. Your son is starting soccer right now."
"Hey, Rawlins." Frank spoke up. "Can Dig finally see his family?"
"I will look into what you said on the phone, Castle." Rawlins told them. "Then I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you." Diggle nodded.
"Oh, one more thing-" Rawlins reached into his pocket and handed Frank the vial of Compound V Butcher gave him last week. "Vought insisted we destroy it. I believe it's safer with you guys for now."
"Might not be wrong." the Punisher agreed, taking the vial and placing it into his jacket.
"Now, I need his description."
"Curly hair, dirty blonde." Diggle immediately said. "Wearing off brand clothes and sneakers, as well as a grey hat. Looked Caucasian."
"You got all that from the security footage?" Dax asked, impressed.
"Picked some stuff up from Felicity." Diggle shrugged.
"Holy shit." Rawlins grinned. "I've been trying to solve this puzzle forever, and I think you guys gave me the missing piece- Vought's staging a coup from within!"
"What do you mean?" Castle asked. Rawlins was about to answer, but felt his nose, and stared at his fingertips. On the fingers was a bright red fluid- blood.
A second later, William Rawlins' head spontaneously exploded, showering the Boys in his blood.
"Back in the van!" Frank shouted, pushing Diggle and Dax back in the vehicle. Allyson stared at them, eyes wide from shock. Castle pulled the doors shut, and Diggle floored the gas pedal, driving the van away from the billboard- and Rawlins' corpse.
Homelander gracefully landed on the doorstep of Becca Butcher's home, barely noticing the welcome mat say something about bringing tacos. He knocked on the door three times, as soft as he strength allowed, and Becca answered seconds later.
"What are you doing here?" Becca asked, clearly fearful.
"I'm here to see my son." Homelander grinned.
The Boys returned to their hideout, where they quickly cleaned themselves of the blood and brains.
"So glad you got us into this mess, Castle." Diggle grumbled, wiping his hands with a towel.
"The hit wasn't meant for us." Frank realized, ignoring what John had said.
"How do you know?" Dax asked.
"Because our brains would be all over the dashboard." Castle explained.
"He's right. If that supe wanted us dead, we'd be dead." Diggle added. "Rawlins said something he wasn't supposed to."
Frank thought for a moment, before looking back to his companions.
"The coup." Castle murmured. "Rawlins said they were staging a coup from the inside."
"Who, Vought?" Dax asked.
"Could be." Frank nodded. "Or it's just Homelander. But one of them gave Compound V to these super terrorists."
At the mention of the super terrorist, Allyson glared at Castle. Even though she thought he didn't notice, he did. Instead of asking what was wrong, the Punisher decided to keep quiet… for now.
Just then, Frank felt his phone vibrate, and quickly answered it, despite it saying an unknown number.
"Hey, it's me."
Frank bit back a curse. Annie was talking to him.
"Jesus Annie, we shouldn't be talking like this."
"Don't worry, I'm using a burner phone." Annie told him. "Hey, we got it. He's going to get us the Compound V in a day or two. So where should we send it to? Personally, I'm thinking on CNN or MSN. Maybe even the New York Times or the Bulletin."
"That's good." Frank mumbled, despite remembering that Rawlins just gave him the vial of Compound V.
"Hell yeah, it's good!" Annie said excitedly. "This is what we've been waiting for! We can finally take these fuckers down!"
"Just be careful." Frank reminded her, before ending the call and turning to the rest of the Boys. "Annie's going to get us a sample of Compound V in a couple days."
"But we already have Compound V." Diggle reminded him, pointing to the vial tucked away in Castle's jacket. "Rawlins gave us back the sample Butcher and I obtained from the NICU."
"I got an idea for it." Frank said, pulling out the vial and staring at it thoughtfully.
"You're not thinking of taking it, are you?" Dax asked, almost too happily.
"Fuck no." Punisher told them. "Dig, are you still in contact with Felicity?"
"No man, she's been off the grid-"
"John, please." Frank repeated. "Are you still in contact with Felicity Smoak?"
Diggle sighed, and nodded.
"Good." Frank smirked. "I need you to ask her to dig up anything on Vought and Compound V. How long this shit's been around, who created it, what it's made of, all that shit."
"Alright Frank." Diggle agreed, pulling out his phone. "But this better not end with her dying, man."
"What about the V?" Dax asked, confused. "As far as I can tell, you're not going to just mail it to her."
"No." Frank agreed, placing the vial back into his jacket. "I'm going to need to see one of your old acquaintances about it."
Before anyone moved, they all heard footsteps, and looked towards the black van, seeing a silhouette in the shadows.
"Well, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourselves into."
Frank's eyes widened, realizing that voice could only belong to one man.
Billy Butcher stepped out into the light, with blood all over his black duster.
"You called him." Castle glared at Dax.
"We need him." Dax protested.
"Damn right you do." Butcher agreed. "We got a supe terrorist on the loose, Rawlins lost his head, and we're the most wanted cunts in the country. But don't worry…"
Butcher leaned in close, grinning in Frank's face.
"Daddy's home."
A/N: And just like that, Butcher has returned! If anyone's been keeping track, he has a huge secret that's been hidden throughout this entire story, which isn't in the actual show. It'll be revealed, eventually, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of people reading already know what it is.
Like I said before, even though the chapters will mostly be based on the show's episodes, there will be chunks that I put in there that are my own ideas. Killing off A-Train in the prior chapter was one of them.
Speaking of, I have an idea on how season 2 will end, but I'm not too sure. If it does, great. If not, then I'll extend the story past the second season's plot to get to the ending that I want to tell.
As always, most of the scenes that I leave out from the show are either not important to this fic's narrative, or they play out exactly the same, so I see no point in completely copy-pasting.
Lastly, I've decided to upload weekly. I now have my version of the first four episodes written in, as well as an extra chapter to fill in some gaps. So, look forward to seeing a new chapter every Thursday, since that's when I get to see new episodes based on my time zone.
Bye for now!