A/N: God damn, this is the longest chapter I've written so far. I know I said in the last author's note that I was going to split it into two parts, but at the last minute, I thought 'fuck it' and combined them both. It was a lot of fun to write, and I'm sure there will be a few twists that will catch people off guard. I know I said I'd be releasing it in two parts, but fuck it. At the time of writing the note, I finished the chapter that correlates with episode 6, and that is around the same length, and I didn't want to break it up.
Oh, that reminds me, this is, so far, the only chapter I'm putting in a trigger warning for. I don't usually do this, because I think the term is massively overused in this day and age, but towards the end of the chapter, there is an attempted suicide. For those who are uncomfortable with that, you have been warned.
On with the show.
Frank stood at the edge of the boat outside, overlooking the waters. After deciding they weren't going back to the hideout, Butcher had commandeered a boat from the docks, and had this 'Cameron' tied up and thrown below the decks. At this point, Castle wasn't sure what was more surprising; the fact that Allyson actually knew him, or that she was speaking at all.
Castle turned back towards the inside of the ship, where Butcher was on the phone with Mallory.
"What's the ETA?"
"A few hours. I'm sorry, but I'm a civilian now, I can't just push a button." Mallory replied. "Is the target secure, no one's seen him?"
"We're three miles off the fucking shore, what do you think?" Butcher asked sarcastically.
"I think that if there's a way to fuck it up, you'll find it." Mallory told him.
"Look. I just want my wife back." Butcher explained.
"I know." Mallory sighed. "Hey, ever heard of an old supe called Liberty?"
"Can't say I have." Butcher muttered. "What's that got to do with it?"
"I'm not sure. How's your team holding up?"
"Oh, just peachy."
"And the target is the girl's ex boyfriend? Are you sure that won't compromise her allegiance?"
"If it comes to that, I'll neutralize her." Butcher promised, ending the call right as Allyson walked down the stairs. In her hands was a paper cup of water.
"You don't have to worry about me." Allyson muttered, before walking towards the cabin where Cameron was kept in. Once she entered the small room, she knelt down to Cameron's level, as he was chained to the bed.
"How did you end up on that boat?" Allyson asked first.
"I was travelling around. Asia mostly." Cameron told her, staring at the ground. "One day, someone got the jump on me, and the next thing I knew, I was in a lab being injected with this blue fluid."
"Compound V." Allyson realized. "Do you know if any of these men had badges or identification from Smith's Grove? Or Vought?"
"Look, what do you want?" Cameron asked bitterly, ignoring the question altogether.
"I just want you to drink." Allyson said softly, offering the cup to his lips.
"Fuck off." Elam told her, refusing to look her in the eye. "How can you side with them?"
"They saved me." Allyson murmured, looking at the floor. "I had been locked in that cage for months, and they let me out."
"Guess I shouldn't be surprised." Cameron snorted. "Since you fell for a psychopath that murdered our friend."
"It's not like that." Allyson insisted. "Michael saved me- twice. And now I have to save him."
"What are you talking about? Cameron asked, bewildered.
"Michael is Black Noir." Allyson said sadly. Cameron looked at her, stunned, before speaking again.
"How do you know?"
"I got into a fight with him last week, and I… I removed his mask." Allyson grimaced. "Then he stabbed me."
"So he didn't really care for you." Cameron accused. While he was speaking, he was slowly rubbing his duct taped hands against the chain links.
"No, Vought brainwashed him!" Allyson protested. "He'd never wear anything like that if he wasn't forced to!"
"Then let me help you." Cameron offered. "Come on, Allyson. You can trust me."
"I clearly can't." Allyson nearly whispered. "You're branded a 'super terrorist', Cameron. You killed that man by dropping a boat on him!"
"That was an accident!" Cameron shouted. "I didn't mean to, I just… lost control."
Allyson sighed, turning away. She knew how that felt. She'd lost control a few times before as well, even before Compound V was pumped into her. It's how she killed Doctor Sartain and his son, years ago.
"I'm sorry, Cameron." Allyson apologized, standing up and walking away. "You'll be taken in by the CIA. They'll want you alive, which is a better deal than what the Seven would give you."
Allyson quietly shut the door, leaving Cameron alone, and still cutting through the duct tape binding his hands.
Music: "Mr Bad Guy" by Freddy Mercury
"Breakfast is served." Becca announced, placing a plate of pancakes on the table in front of a waiting Homelander and Ryan. "How much do you want buddy?"
"One please." Ryan asked.
"I'll have one too." Homelander smirked, as Becca placed a pancake on each of their plates.
"Would you like maple syrup?"
"Um…"
"Yes, please." Homelander interjected, wearing a shit eating grin. Becca looked at him with disdain, before pouring syrup over his pancake.
"Little bit more."
Homelander slowly drank from his glass of milk, and looked at his 'family'.
"This is nice."
"Mama, querra Raisin Bran, por favor?" Ryan asked in Spanish.
"Si." Becca answered, smiling.
"What the fuck is that?" Homelander asked, wearing a confused face.
"It's Spanish." Becca smiled at her son. "On Mondays, we have breakfast in Espanol."
Homelander rolled his eyes. This is America, they should all speak English.
"Hey, Ryan, you wanna learn Spanish in here, or go outside with your old man?"
Ryan looked at his mother, with a confused, but also pleading look.
"Mom, can I go?"
Becca wore a grim expression, but looked toward Homelander.
"Uh… sure." Becca whispered, as the two went outside. Once she was alone, she went up to her room and opened her closet, finding the small metal box she hid there. Homelander had no idea what was in it; she made sure it was lined with zinc in case he ever did find her. Turns out that day had finally come.
Becca opened the box to reveal a heavy looking pistol, appearing as a heavily modified Glock 17. There was a suppressor at the tip, and a large, bulky clip under the front end of the barrel. Along the barrel was a small display screen, which lit up once she wrapped her petite fingers around the barrel.
DNA Check…
ID Okay.
In truth, she still had no idea how it worked, despite her husband explaining it to her. Hell, she had even fired it before. But that didn't matter. What mattered is that she and her son could be in danger from a psychopath who could burn the entire world to the ground if he wanted to. She had to protect him, no matter the cost.
Frank and the Boys sat in the 'living room' of the ship, when he suddenly got a call. Castle noticed there was no caller ID, so when he answered, he stayed silent.
"Frank, you there?"
He heard Barry Allen's voice.
"Yeah Red. I'm here." Castle mumbled.
"Are you near a tv?"
"Yeah."
"Turn it on."
Frank grabbed a remote from the couch and turned the television, where it went straight to the NNC News Station.
"Breaking News: Heroes are not born, they're made." the anchor announced. "It has been leaked to the press by an anonymous source that the company Vought has been manufacturing Compound V: an attempt to recreate the Super Soldier Serum from World War II and given it to people across the country. Proof of this was given in the form of a small canister filled with the substance, and our experts were able to confirm its properties. Evidence leaked also suggests that the drug contains ingredients that were found in Mirakuru, used by Slade Wilson during his attack on Star City back in 2014, as well as the Extremis formula used by the now deceased terrorist Aldrich Killian."
"Cisco cracked it." Frank said out loud. Not a question.
"And then we forwarded it to Felicity." Even though they were on the phone, Castle could swear Barry was grinning. "And that's not all."
"We also received information from the same source that Vought was founded by a Nazi scientist named Frederick Vought." the news anchor, Anderson Cooper, continued. "He was originally a member of the scientific division HYDRA, and tasked by their leader, Johann Schmidt, to recreate the serum after Abraham Erskine escaped to America. Due to Operation Paperclip, Frederick, along with Arnim Zola, defected and began working with the Allies.
"Our own research has found that the parents of these 'supes' were paid by Vought to have them injected with Compound V at an early childhood, and were then able to monitor their lives. Former CSO of Vought, Jonah Vogelbaum, has been unable to reach out and comment, he has been living in seclusion ever since he was mysteriously paralyzed, just hours before former Vice President Madelyn Stillwell was murdered in her own home-"
"Great job, Red." Frank told Barry, before abruptly ending the call. He proceeded to call Starlight's number, switching to a burner phone. When it went straight to voicemail, he decided to leave a message.
"Hey, I saw the news." Frank said. "I'm guessing the container of the V was sent by you. Kid, we did it. The world knows the truth now."
"Wait, this was you?" Diggle asked, pointing to the screen.
"Yeah." Frank nodded. "I had Barry and Cisco run some tests on the vial Rawlins gave us, and Annie got her hands on some more back at Vought."
"Solid work, Frankie." Butcher smirked. "But don't get too cocky."
"What are you talking about?" Dax asked. "We've been trying to do this shit for years, and now Vought is finally going down!"
"And I'm grateful for Castle doing that, but right now, we have a supe terrorist below decks." Butcher reminded everyone. "Shit can go sideways real quick. So let's not forget we're not out of the woods yet, yeah?"
"Understood." Frank nodded, just as Butcher turned and left the room.
Ryan and Homelander stood on the roof of the house, looking down at the backyard.
"This is great." Homelander smiled, his hand on his son's shoulder. "Did Mom ever bring you up here?"
"No." Ryan said hesitantly. Homelander sighed in frustration. Of course she wouldn't. Why would she? She wanted her son to believe he was just a human. A weak, worthless, human-
"Are you ready to jump?" Homelander suddenly asked. Ryan's eyes widened, and he looked down. That looked like a pretty steep drop…
"You can't be serious." Ryan stammered. "I can't jump."
"Sure you can. You're my son." Homelander told him. "You can fly, just like me."
"I don't want to." Ryan quickly said. "I can't fly, I'll just fall-"
"Buddy, you'll love it, I promise." Homelander knelt down to look his son in the eye. "You take a deep breath, step off, and your body will do the rest."
"But I'm nothing like you. I can't jump." Ryan repeated. "Please Dad. Please don't make me jump."
"Aw, you called me Dad." Homelander smiled, resting his hand on his son's back. The next thing Ryan knew, he felt himself being pushed, and fell from the roof. Ryan screamed, and landed hard on his front, face down in the dirt.
Becca heard the scream, and she quickly ran outside to see her son on the ground, and not moving.
"Ryan? Oh my God, Ryan!" Becca shouted, running over to the boy and checking on him. Homelander floated down a few feet away, and she glared at him with cold fury. "What did you do?!"
"Jesus, relax. It was a twenty foot drop." Homelander rolled his eyes.
"You inhuman fucking monster!" Becca snarled.
"Don't help him up, let him do it himself!" Homelander told her.
"Oh God, he's not breathing." Becca gasped, checking his pulse.
"Mom?" Ryan's eyes snapped open.
"See? Told you." Homelander smiled, fighting back the urge to laugh.
"Are you hurt? Is anything broken?"
"Broken? There's not a scratch on him!" Homelander pointed out. "You know why? Because he's my son, and you're raising him to be a pansy."
"You don't get to tell me how to raise my son." Becca glared at the supe again.
"I'm his father."
"You don't get to say that after what you did!"
"What I did?" Homelander asked, raising his eyebrows. "I gave you a son, which you are raising like a little girl."
Homelander took a step forward, but Becca suddenly pulled out a gun from behind her back. He sighed in annoyance, knowing he could easily destroy the firearm with his laser eyes, but he was interested to see where this was going. Plus, he didn't want to hurt her, especially in front of Ryan.
"Come on." Homelander smirked. "What do you think that's going to do?"
Becca's hands shook, but she pointed the weapon right at his face.
"Armor Piercer."
An electronic sound was heard, and the display on the side of the gun lit up blue, saying the letters AP. She fired a single round, and it struck Homelander in his left cheek. Becca's, and Ryan's, eyes widened, seeing a large red welt form on his face, where the bullet struck him.
"Huh. I actually felt that." Homelander commented, placing a hand up to his face. The round actually stung a little bit, something Homelander never thought would happen. He looked back at Becca, who still had her weapon trained on him.
"You bitch!"
Homelander strode over to her faster than humanly possible, and grabbed her wrist, hard. Becca cried out in a mixture of surprise and pain, dropping the gun.
"Let go of me." Becca said, gritting her teeth and trying her hardest not to let her fear seep into her words.
"Ryan is mine." Homelander growled. Neither one of them noticed Ryan step forward, until it was too late.
"Get your hands off of her!"
Homelander looked down, just in time to see Ryan push him with all his strength. The leader of the Seven flew back a few feet, and when he looked back up, Ryan's eyes were glowing red.
"Ah, there it is." Homelander grinned. "You see? He's just like me!"
"No. I'm not like you!" Ryan yelled, as the crimson light faded from his eyes. "I'm not like you, I fucking hate you! Leave us alone!"
Becca wrapped her son in a hug, and began to lead him back inside, pausing only to pick up the gun she dropped.
"Ryan, hey, I'm not mad!" Homelander tried to say.
"Go away! Leave us alone!" Ryan called back, before Becca slammed the door.
Homelander looked at the grown, exhaling in frustration. This was a problem. He wanted his son to love him, but somehow, he hated him now. Why?
He brought his hand back up to his cheek, feeling the welt swell. What kind of gun was that? There was no weapon on the planet that could kill him. No regular guns or weapons that could even scratch him. Yet he just got hurt by whatever that was that Becca had. Granted, it only stung, similar to an airsoft pellet, but it wasn't meant to hurt at all. He was the world's greatest superhero.
Homelander sighed. He would have to figure this out later. For now, he had to get back to Vought. The supe looked up towards the sky, and flew off, leaving Becca and Ryan in their prison of a home.
Dax entered the cabin where Cameron was tied down, holding onto a small bag of Doritos and a can of Red Bull with Homelander's face on it.
"These taste like shit, but I thought you'd be hungry." Dax told him, wearing a sympathetic smile.
"Fuck you." Cameron spat. "Are you here to gloat?"
"No." Dax shook his head. "Allyson, she… she hasn't talked, before last night. You're the first person she's spoken a single word to."
"Don't know why, after what I did to her." Cameron said glumly.
"What happened?" Dax asked, sitting down and opening the can of Red Bull. "Do you drink?"
Cameron nodded, and Dax brought the can up to his lips. The captive drank a few sips, before Dax moved the can away.
"Two years ago, Halloween night. I was drunk." Cameron explained. "Allyson and I were… boyfriend and girlfriend at the time. We went as gender swapped Bonnie and Clyde for our school's party. She really rocked the suit and hat too."
Dax chuckled at the thought, and so did Cameron.
"Later in the evening, when I was even more wasted, a girl I knew named Kim walked up to me." Cameron continued. "We talked for a bit, and before I knew it, she kissed me. Apparently, Allyson saw, and she walked right out. I followed, and after a few heated words, I threw her phone into a bowl of nacho cheese."
Cameron looked down at the ground, before speaking.
"Then my best friend got killed, as well as more of our friends by that maniac in the white mask, and for some reason, Allyson is still defending him." Cameron muttered.
"Michael Myers." Dax realized. "They were both injected with Compound V by Vought. All three of you were."
"Yeah, she told me." Cameron grumbled.
"So help us." Dax requested. "We can bring them down."
Cameron looked up at Dax, the glare returning.
"Fuck you."
Dax sighed. He tried. The mercenary stood up, placed the food and drink on the counter in the corner, and left the cabin.
Cameron smiled slightly. The dumbass left the Red Bull in the room with him. A can, made of aluminum, that can be turned into a sharp object.
Elam lifted one of his hands, revealing the duct tape was cut off a single finger, and strained his powers, lifting the can and bringing it towards him. He curled the tip of his finger, crushing the can into creating a sharp point, and positioned it under his hands, where it began sawing into the tape.
Meanwhile, Dax walked back out on deck, joining Butcher, Frank, and Diggle in seeing an NYPD chopper flying towards them.
"This is the NYPD. the boat has been reported stolen and you're all under arrest."
"Dammit, Butcher!" Diggle yelled. "You just had to find a way to screw this up!"
"Keep your knickers on!" Butcher shouted back, grabbing a radio off the captain's chair.
"Listen, I am the captain of My Big Wet Dream. I am holding the papers of the lease, signed by the owner…"
Castle looked behind the boat, feeling something was off, when he saw the anchor fly up towards them.
"Get down!" Punisher yelled, tackling Butcher out of the way. The Boys looked towards the lower deck, seeing Cameron raise his hand. Just as he was about to push Butcher off the boat, Allyson came up from behind him and pushed him forward, making him lose his balance and instead use his powers on the chopper.
"Mayday! Mayday!"
The chopper fell into the water, where the pressure caused it to break into pieces.
"Right, time to go!" Butcher announced, taking the wheel and driving the boat. Dax went over to Allyson and helped her in tying Cameron's hands, this time deciding to lay him out on the top deck this time.
Frank watched, as the chopper wreckage began sinking. He knew they should help the survivors, assuming there were any, but there were most likely more people on their way. If they stayed, they'd be dead.
Castle decided to take the life preserver off the back of the boat, and toss it towards the wreckage. At least it was something.
As Butcher steered the boat, he turned his head, seeing Diggle glaring at him.
"Hey, this wasn't my fuck up this time." Butcher protested.
Dig didn't say anything, and just stormed off, while the ruined chopper got smaller in the distance.
In Vought's office, Stan Edgar looked at the police chopper's photo of the super terrorist, taking in every detail. The jean jacket. The dark blue ball cap. The short curly hair under the hat. Meanwhile, several other employees were trying to speak to him.
"Stan, this is a PR nightmare-"
"We could all be charged with malpractice-"
"We could deny this. High risk, high reward-"
"But if they nail us and say the whistleblower is legit, we could go into bankruptcy-"
"All of us charged, in this very room-"
"It's confirmed. Trading has been halted-"
"Stan, what are we going to do?"
Edgar didn't answer, still looking at the terrorist, and smiled.
"An energy drink, Dax?" Diggle asked, pointing an accusing finger at the mercenary. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?"
"I was trying to help Allyson." Dax defended, while Butcher was on the phone.
"Mallory, where the fuck are your mates?" Butcher asked, getting anxious.
"New deal, you have to bring him in."
"Grace, we're three fucking miles off shore." Butcher reminded her.
"You also just crashed a police chopper. Not really keeping a low profile."
"Fine." Billy grit his teeth. "Where do you want us to go?"
"CIA safehouse Haslet. Be there in thirty. And Butcher… please be careful."
Butcher's lips curled into a small smile. So she did still care for him.
"I will."
Butcher ended the call, and dropped the phone to the deck of the ship.
"Fuck me!"
Stan walked into the Seven's office, seeing Starlight, Black Noir, Stormfront, Queen Maeve, and Homelander sitting in their chairs. Right beside him was Ashley. Edgar frowned, noticing Homelander having a welt on his face, but decided not to inquire about it at the moment. Right now, there were more pressing matters.
"I know that I don't come up to the 99th floor often, and I apologize." Edgar told everyone, showing a display pad of the super terrorist. "But I believe that this gives us a moment of clarity. We need you to bring this super terrorist-"
"Villain." Homelander interrupted. "Super villain."
"Whatever." Edgar scoffed. "Whatever the case, get out there and stop him."
"Sorry, I don't see why we have to clean up your fuck up." Maeve pointed out, resting her chin on her fist.
"Maeve, enough." Homelander interjected. "It doesn't matter who made us, or how we got here. We're the Seven. We're Earth's Mightiest Heroes. You guys are my family. My real family. This guy-"
He pointed to Edgar.
"Doesn't give a shit about us. So who cares if Vought burns to the fucking ground."
"I suggest you choose your next words wisely-"
"Oh really, should I?" Homelander asked, standing up and stalking towards Stan, like a predator stalking his prey. "Because companies come and go. Talent though… that's forever. But, the world still needs superheroes."
On that last sentence, Homelander turned back towards the Seven, forcing on a smile.
"So let's take this cocksucker down."
Music: "Let Me Live Let Me Die" by Des Rocs
"How far are we?" Diggle asked, as he and Butcher looked out over the ocean. Frank and Dax were just behind them, with Allyson and Cameron sitting down on deck.
"Just a mile left." Butcher revealed, pointing to the shore. Just then, the entire boat shook, making everybody climb to the railings.
"What the fuck was that?" Frank asked.
"We must've hit a reef!" Dax exclaimed.
"No." Butcher muttered, looking in the water to see the shark's fins. Billy growled in frustration, picking up his sniper rifle and rapidly firing rounds at the sharks.
"Diggle, take the wheel!"
John began steering the boat, while Butcher continued firing. Some of them went down. Some of them didn't.
The boat rocked again, and Diggle's eyes widened.
"We lost power!"
Butcher quickly ran below decks, seeing the cabin was being filled with water.
"Alright, everyone off the boat!"
The Boys and their captive ran towards the speedboat in the back, piling in. Butcher handed Frank the rifle, who began shooting at the sharks, and Dax unwinched the speedboat from the ship.
"Shit, it's out!" Castle shouted, when he heard the rifle click.
"Nevermind that, get in!" Butcher ordered. Frank and Dax complied, and they sped off, with the sharks on their trail.
As they got closer and closer to the shore, Dax noticed an opening, and pointed to it.
"There! Head for the storm drain!"
Butcher quickly nodded, and steered the speed boat towards the tunnel. Just then, a huge humpback well emerged from the water, blowing water out of its hole. The Boys looked over, seeing that it wasn't alone. Riding on its back was the Deep, in his bright green suit.
Frank narrowed his eyes in anger, remembering that he was one of the supes who forced Annie to give them a blow job.
The Deep smiled for dramatic effect, and stilled the whale once it got just next to the shoreline, in an attempt to block the boat. The supe clearly wanted Butcher to stop, and that made him smirk. Billy simply sped up, faster than before, and aimed right at the humpback whale.
"Butcher, what are you doing?" Dax asked, noticing they weren't slowing down.
"Butcher!?" Diggle yelled, also panicking.
"He's going to harpoon that whale." Punisher realized, grinning at his joke.
The Deep's eyes widened, holding out his hands for them to stop, but it was too late. The speedboat plowed right through the whale, showering everyone except Allyson and Cameron with its blood and guts, who had jumped off in the nick of time. The Deep himself fell off, where he landed on his back and was knocked unconscious.
Butcher was the first to come to, pulling himself out of the whale's stomach. Diggle and Dax soon followed, eyes widened by what just happened.
"Fucking diabolical." Butcher groaned, cracking his neck, while Dax checked on Allyson. "Where's Castle?"
"I'm here!"
Butcher and Diggle walked around to the other side of the whale, seeing Frank standing over the Deep.
"You alright, son?" Butcher asked, approaching the Punisher cautiously.
"Yeah." Frank slowly nodded, despite his entire body being caked in blood and the whale's gore. That white skull was looking a lot more red, with bits of pink.
"Listen, if the Deep's here, then that means the Seven aren't that far behind." Butcher told him. "We gotta get out of here."
"Just… give me a minute." Frank told him, fumbling for the Colt 1911 clipped by his side. Once his hand wrapped around the grip, he pulled the gun out, pulling back the slide.
Click.
He pointed the pistol at the Deep's head, right as his eyes fluttered open.
"One Batch. Two Batch. Penny and Dime."
Frank's nerves calmed, and he pulled the trigger. The Boys heard a loud crack, and the Deep's forehead received a bloody bullet hole, with his eyes kept open in a state of shock.
"Okay, now let's go man!" Diggle insisted. "No doubt Homelander heard that!"
Frank slowly nodded, and the Boys, with Cameron being led by Allyson, hurried into the storm drain.
"Look, I know I've been pushing us farther than we should." Butcher told them, as they all walked in the tunnels. "But we'll be right over the finish line soon enough. We just need to keep our shit together a little bit longer. We hand over the terrorist-"
"Cameron." Allyson interrupted, glaring at Billy.
"-I get my wife back, Diggle gets his family back, we're home free." Butcher finished.
No one said a word, and opted to follow him through the drain.
Back outside, the Seven arrived, seeing the mess of a boat sticking out of a whale.
"Holy shit." Homelander mumbled, looking around. The whale had to be the Deep's work, but where was he? The supe used his x-ray vision, seeing 'fish boy' on the other side of the whale… but not moving. Homelander walked around the whale, seeing the former member of the Seven wasn't moving because, well… there was a hole in his head.
"Jesus."
Homelander turned around, seeing Starlight, Maeve, Black Noir, and Stormfront saw the corpse as well. Starlight was the first to notice the round hole above his eyes, and the gears in her head started turning. Could it be…
"The terrorist's not alone." Homelander declared, using his x-ray vision again. "There's a bullet lodged in Deep's frontal lobe."
Starlight softly gasped. There's only one person who came to mind that would deliberately target a member of the Seven.
Frank?
Annie wasn't naive, she knew what Frank did. He was the goddamn Punisher, for God's sake. He was the one going around New York, killing supes left and right. But now, seeing the Deep dead… she felt a spark of joy. Maybe it was because he shoved his dick in her face. Or maybe it was because aside from that, he was a piece of shit, just like Translucent. She remembered that she threatened to kill him one night, when they were forced to do a team up mission together. Now, she was glad that it was Frank who killed him, and not her.
But now, seeing him with a bullet in his head reminded Annie of A-Train's death, with the bullet in almost the exact same position. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering what Frank had said: One batch, two batch. Penny and dime.
What did that mean?
Starlight blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, and looked back to Homelander, who was still speaking.
"Anyone catches the target, he's mine." Homelander announced, before turning to Black Noir. "Go get them."
Black Noir slowly nodded, and began walking towards the storm drain, seeing a trail of blood and muddy prints leading there. After a few minutes, he was followed by the rest of the Seven, where they spread out in search of the terrorist.
Back in the tunnels, the Boys continued walking, with Frank and Butcher in the front. Suddenly, Frank held up his fist, signalling for them to stop. Despite being the leader of the the Boys, Butcher nodded, having everyone comply, and they heard footsteps that weren't their own
"I'm going to scout ahead." Frank whispered, pulling out his pistol and creeping forward. "If I'm not back in five minutes, leave me."
Butcher looked at him and nodded. Castle turned the corner, leaving the Boys standing there, listening for anything else.
"Alright then-" Butcher turned around, but noticed that a dark shape was approaching them. Billy squinted, seeing the figure wore all black, and was slowly walking.
Black Noir.
"Ah, bollocks." Butcher muttered.
Allyson turned around as well, but upon seeing Noir, she handed Cameron off the Dax, and stepped forward.
"Michael."
Music: "Allyson Discovered" from Halloween 2018
Black Noir tilted his head curiously, and Allyson felt a small smile creep across her expressionless face.
"Ally-" Cameron was about to say, but Dax put his hand over his mouth.
"Cameron, shut up." Dax whispered, while Diggle stood with his mouth open, and Butcher stared in suspicion.
Allyson continued to walk forward, until she was inches from Black Noir.
"Your name is Michael Myers." Allyson told him. "You and I, we met on Halloween, three years ago. We were in the back of a police car, driven by Doctor Sartain. He wanted you to kill my grandmother, Laurie."
Black Noir stared at her, as pieces of his memory started coming back to him. Being locked in the back of the vehicle with her. That doctor, Sartain, driving them towards Laurie's house. Him kicking the metal grate into the doctor's back…
"You saved me, Michael." Allyson continued, before she reached into her black jacket and pulled out a white mask with black hair. The latex was clearly worn, with cracks at the edges, but other than that, it was in pretty good condition.
"This is yours."
Black Noir reached up to his mask and slowly pulled it off, revealing his weathered face, with the bald head and pencil thin beard. As he gingerly took the white mask from the girl and dropped the black one, he stared into the dark, soulless eyeholes.
No, not a mask, Black Noir realized. A face. His face.
Suddenly, everything came back to Black Noir, or Michael Myers, like he got hit by a freight train. How he murdered his sister, Judith, when he was six years old. He was locked up in Smith's Grove for fifteen years before escaping, but was soon returned, where he spent another forty years behind bars. Breaking out again to kill Laurie, the sole survivor of his first rampage, only to run into her granddaughter, and have a change of heart. And that girl, the same one who stood before him now…
"Allyson?"
Allyson smiled, tears in her eyes.
"So you do remember." Allyson whispered, wrapping him in a hug. Michael slowly returned the gesture, to the stunned expressions of the Boys and Cameron.
"My God, what did they do to you?" Allyson asked, pulling back to stare at the suit Michael was forced to wear. Myers was about to respond, when they all heard footsteps. Michael looked over his shoulder, seeing the beginnings of a shadow form at the end of the tunnel.
Michael turned back to Allyson and the rest of the Boys, uttering a single word.
"Go."
Allyson blinked in surprise, wiping her tears, but nevertheless nodded. She knew she shouldn't argue. They still had to turn Cameron in to the authorities.
"Goodbye Michael." Allyson said sadly, as she and the Boys began to silently walk away, leaving him there.
Michael breathed in and out heavily, loud enough that you could just hear it echo in the tunnels, and reached down, picking up his black mask. He placed it back over his head, becoming Black Noir once more, and turned around just in time to see Queen Maeve turn the corner and walk right up to him.
"Find anyone?" Maeve asked, her hands on her hips. Black Noir shook his head slightly. Maeve looked at him suspiciously, before shrugging, and continued walking. Black Noir quickly caught up to her, and pointed to a different tunnel, away from the Boys. The two of them looked at each other in silence, before deciding to split up. Maeve went through the tunnel Noir directed her to, while he himself decided to follow the path the Boys had gone through. If nothing else, it was to ensure Allyson was safe…
Frank continued walking through the tunnels, his gun raised, when he turned a corner, seeing Starlight walking with her arms up, her eyes glowing.
"Hey kid." Frank greeted, lowering his gun arm. A second later, Starlight blasted him in the chest, knocking him several feet and hitting his head against the tunnel's wall.
Starlight looked back up, seeing Homelander emerge from the darkness. Once he saw Frank, trying to sit himself up, he rolled his eyes.
"Seriously? You gotta be fucking kidding me." Homelander rolled his eyes. "This guy again? And holy fuck-"
Homelander noticed the now red skull painted on his bulletproof vest.
"-He's the Punisher?"
"I didn't know-" Starlight tried to say, but was interrupted.
"QUIET!" Homelander shouted. "What, have you got rocks in your head?"
Starlight didn't say anything, and only stared down.
"You know what, I want you to do something for me." Homelander grinned, leading her closer towards Frank, as he steadied himself on the wall. "Kill him."
As Butcher and the Boys peeked around the corner, Starlight's eyes widened in horror.
"What?" Annie asked. "He's wanted. We should arrest him."
"Yes, he is, and yes, we should." Homelander agreed. "Kill him."
Butcher looked back to the Boys, where they all looked at him, mortified by what they were hearing. Billy knew they had to do something, but what? He didn't have his equipment. He didn't have his weapons.
"Come on, it's easy." Homelander playfully whined, raising Starlight's arms and aiming them at Frank's head. "You put your hands in the air, like you just don't care, and kill."
Annie left her arm pointed at Frank, but still hesitated.
"Okay, you want more incentive?" Homelander asked, growing impatient. "Either you kill him, or I'll fucking kill you both."
Frank coughed, gaining Annie's attention.
"You do what you have to do." Castle said, in a low growl. Starlight nodded, and her eyes started to glow golden. Her hands began to light up as well, making it difficult for Frank to keep looking.
"OI! CUNT!"
Homelander looked around, from Starlight to Frank. Realizing that neither one of their voices sounded like that, he turned around, looking down the dark tunnel.
"William?" Homelander asked mockingly, watching as Butcher revealed himself from the shadows. "What a surprise! Hey, I just got back from having breakfast with your wife. Pancakes, amirite? Mmmm… de-lic-ious."
On that last word, Homelander waggled his tongue out in a mocking gesture.
"Yeah…" Butcher smirked, but looked closer, just now noticing the red welt on the supe's face. As far as he knew, nothing on Earth could even scratch Homelander, except for possibly one thing. If he had just gotten back from seeing his wife, and she somehow left a mark…
Billy ignored the thought creeping into his mind, and focused on rescuing Frank.
"Eat this, motherfucker!"
Allyson pushed Cameron in front of Butcher, who stepped to the side. Elam used his powers to rip the ground out from beneath Homelander's feet. Of course, he resorted to flying, but Cameron already anticipated that, bringing down rubble and a train car on top of him, effectively burying him underneath the tunnels. The act also caused Frank to lose his balance, and he fell back onto the floor.
Cameron looked back towards Allyson, who slowly shook her head, begging him not to run. He ignored her, and lifted a rock, using it as a stepping stone to launch him above ground. Allyson gave chase, climbing up after him, while the rest of the Boys ran to help Frank and Starlight.
"Come on, Frankie, before that cunt gets out." Butcher said, offering a hand to help Frank up. The Punisher looked up, but didn't take his hand at first. "Come on. You once told me never to leave a man behind. I took that hard lesson, and I bettered myself." Castle quickly grasped it, and was pulled back onto his feet, where he wiped the dirt and grime off his jacket.
Before the Boys left, Butcher turned back to Starlight.
"I was wrong about you." Billy gave a small nod in her direction. "Sorry."
Starlight wore a tiny smirk across her face, and nodded curtly as well, before the Boys quickly left the tunnels to catch up to Allyson and Cameron.
Above ground, Allyson chased Cameron through the streets, eventually catching up to him and grabbing his arm.
"Cameron, stop!" Allyson begged.
"No, they won't let me go!" Cameron shot back. "They'll kill me! It doesn't matter if the CIA gets ahold of me!"
"Hey guys!"
Cameron and Allyson turned around, just in time to see Stormfront raise her arms and blast lightning at them. The pair smashed into the wall of an apartment building, startling an African American family of three while the father watched basketball on the couch. Allyson groaned, as Stormfront walked in, kicking her in the face and blasting Cameron through the wall. The father stood up, stunned, and Stormfront took a quick look at the family.
"Fucking jungle bunnies." Stormfront muttered, blasting the father with lightning, and watching him fly back and split his skull against the wall. The children screamed, and she blasted them as well.
Cameron heard their dying screams, and he began crawling away, as Stormfront climbed out of the hole in the wall and slowly walked towards him. Just as she raised her arm, preparing to electrocute him again, Allyson jumped up and grabbed her by the shoulders, smashing her face into the concrete walls. She proceeded to throw Stormfront across the hall, then pursued Cameron, the two running up the stairs and pushing past another black man, wearing a New York Yankees hat and having a black beard. Stormfront got up, approaching the man with wide eyes, and threw him out a window, where he smashed into a car upon his death.
Stormfront continued blasting lightning at Allyson and Cameron, who barely dodged her attacks, and kept running to the roof. By the time she made it to the top as well, the entire building was destroyed, on fire, and everyone living in it was either dead or seriously injured.
Allyson and Cameron looked around, seeing nothing but other rooftops, when Cameron decided to jump down to a lower one, rolling onto it. He looked back at Allyson, just in time to see Stormfront grab her from behind and punch her in the face. Nelson fell onto the floor of the roof, where Stormfront kicked her onto her back, and grabbed her by her chin, trying to force her neck backward.
"Why won't you die?" Stormfront snarled, finding that even now, Allyson was still fighting back. Just before she could push harder, she was tackled from the side by Cameron, while Allyson rubbed her neck. He was about to use his powers, but before he could raise his hand, Stormfront grabbed his wrist and began squeezing. As Allyson attempted to stand up, the supe fired a bolt of lightning that sent her flying into the brick wall of the fire escape, where she struggled to get up.
Stormfront quickly grabbed Cameron's wrists and stood up, forcing him to his knees. Elam's eyes widened in horror, when she snapped his wrists, causing blood to gush everywhere, the bones poking out, and the hands almost completely ripped off.
"Aw, can't do your magic hands thing anymore? How come?" Stormfront mocked, as Cameron screamed in pain. She then grabbed him by the back of the head and neck, forcing him to look at her.
"Open your eyes." Stormfront commanded, as Allyson crawled past a fan vent and generator. "You fucking little fairy."
Stormfront snapped Cameron's neck with relative ease, and Allyson's eyes widened. Her heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces. Yes, she and Cameron had broken up years ago, but they still remained friends. Now, he was gone, just like her parents.
Allyson was about to scream, or cry, but before she made a sound, she felt a glove hand clamped over her mouth, and pulled her behind cover of the fire escape, just as Homelander landed on the roof to confront Stormfront. The glove was kept over her mouth, as Black Noir stepped into her view.
"Michael?" Allyson's voice muffled out in a whisper.
Black Noir removed his mask again, revealing his other mask made of flesh and blood.
"Go." Michael repeated. Allyson slowly nodded, and silently climbed down the outside of the building, careful not to alert Stormfront or Homelander.
The leader of the Seven stared at the body of the super terrorist, and looked up at Stormfront in annoyance.
"I said he was mine." Homelander growled.
"You snooze, you lose, gramps." Stormfront smirked as sirens could be heard.
Music: "Through the Woods" from Halloween 2018
Allyson slowly entered the hideout, finding she was the only one there, and made her way to the makeshift bathroom, finding mop buckets in there, and other cleaning supplies. She took Michael's face from her jacket, eyeing it for a moment, and threw it on the ground. She had no one anymore. Her parents were murdered by A-Train, with the speedster killed by Frank. Her grandmother was gone, suffered a heart attack years ago. She may have gotten through to Michael, but he was still under Homelander's thumb. And now, Cameron, her best friend, was dead, his neck snapped by another member of the Seven.
Nelson looked at the dirty mirror, seeing her blank face was shaking with rage… and grief. Her fingers traced small lines on her cheeks, remembering a time when she was tortured, and beaten. The Compound V healed most of the scars on her face... but there was still a faint trace of the marks. She kept staring, getting more and more mad, until she smashed her fist into the mirror, shattering the glass. Her hand was painted red with her blood, the result of the mirror's pieces cutting into her skin, but she didn't care. She had once been brutally tortured by Doctor Sartain's son, Calvin, but Michael eventually found her. Pain had become an old friend at this point. But, as she stared down at her bloodied hand, she got an idea. An idea that made her skin crawl, and her parents and grandmother would be ashamed of her for even thinking it, but she saw no other way to end the pain.
Allyson looked in the sink, spying the largest piece of the broken mirror, and grabbed it. Her hand wrapped around the edges tightly, hard enough to break the skin and draw blood, and she stabbed into her arm, just below the wrist. She winced slightly, as she dragged the shattered mirror piece down her arm, cutting through the skin and making blood spray across the wall and floor. She cut all the way down from her wrist and her elbow, stopping just before she reached the bicep, and with shaking hands, cut through the other arm in the same manner. Through it all, Allyson refused to cry, or even cry out in pain. When both arms were cut, the walls were coated with her blood, but she wasn't done. Slowly, Allyson lifted her chin up, exposing her neck, and stabbed the piece of the mirror into the left side, before roughly dragging it across to the other end. She must have stuck it in really far, because she felt the tip of the glass go over bone, before exiting out the other side.
Allyson dropped the piece of the mirror, as blood sprayed everywhere, painting the walls, the floor, and even a bit of the ceiling crimson. Eventually, she felt dizzy, and sat herself down, before leaning backwards against the wall, accepting the cold hand of death.
Minutes later, the rest of the Boys returned to the hideout, with Butcher clearly pissed off.
"Drokk!" Butcher yelled, ripping off his leather jacket and throwing it across the room. "I'll never get my wife back!"
Castle noticed the word Billy said, but decided not to ask, seeing he was already riled.
"Come on, Butcher, we'll find another way." Diggle reasoned.
"But that was supposed to be the only way!" Butcher shouted. "And now, the deal with the CIA is off!"
"That's what you're upset about?" Dax asked, his eyebrows raised. "Allyson's friend was killed, right in front of her!"
"He's a terrorist." Butcher reminded them. "And a supe terrorist at that."
"Bill, we will find your wife." Frank told him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I promise you that."
Butcher looked at Castle, seeing a look of determination on his face, and nodded. He thought back to when Homelander was in the tunnels, and how he saw that welt on his face. There's only one weapon he could think of that might be able to do that. But he thought it was back at his home. Then again, if the CIA or Feds had raided it last week…
"I need a minute." Butcher decided, walking out of the hideout.
"You need backup?" Frank asked. Butcher looked back at him, and silently shook his head, before leaving.
"Right, I'm going to clean up." Dax decided, walking towards the bathroom. He was still wondering where Allyson was, she never came back with them. But, if she needed time to grieve, he would respect that.
Dax opened the door to the bathroom, and what he saw horrified him. Ironic, back when he was with his team, fighting those robots in Chernobyl, he had tortured someone by gouging out their eyes and cutting off their fingers, but this… this was a whole different level.
Almost every surface was covered in blood. The walls. The floor. The sink. Even parts of the ceiling. The mirror was smashed, with bits and pieces of it in the sink and on the floor. And leaning up against the opposite wall…
"Allyson!" Dax yelled, rushing to her side.
Allyson had slashed her wrists down the middle, as well as slashed her throat. Judging from the wounds, they were way too deep, maybe even reaching the bone.
"Jesus, Allyson, why?" Dax whispered. He looked at her, just in time to see her cough. His eyes widened, mentally slapping himself for forgetting her regenerative healing, and watched as the wounds on her slit wrists and throat slowly closed up, until she was perfectly fine.
Allyson groaned in despair, and anger. Of course. Of fucking course her suicide attempt wouldn't work. She just had to forget about her healing factor, in addition to her super strength. Her gift from Vought's Compound V… but also her curse. Or maybe it was God giving her the finger, she didn't know. At this point, she wasn't sure of anything right now.
"Allyson, why?" Dax repeated, causing Allyson to look at him. He looked as if he was about to cry. "Why did you try that?"
"I have nothing." Allyson said softly. "My family is dead. My friends are dead. Michael is still on Vought's leash. And I just watched my ex boyfriend die."
"You're not alone, Allyson." Dax told her. "You have us. You have Butcher, and Frank, and Dig… and me."
Allyson smiled weakly, and she sniffed, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"And we will get Michael back. I promise." Dax told her. Allyson stared at him for a moment, before wrapping the mercenary in a hug, and sobbed into his shoulder. Dax slowly patted her on the back, trying to comfort her, and looked down, seeing Michael Myers' mask. Or rather, his 'face', as Allyson liked to call it. Dax frowned, noticing that somehow, it hadn't been covered in blood.
Allyson finally pulled away, looking Dax in the eye.
"Thank you." she whispered, as she picked up Myers' face, and the two walked out to join Frank and Diggle, who stared at the monitors.
"So you were here." Diggle said, his eyes widening slightly when he saw them both covered in blood that wasn't already there. "What happened to you two?"
"Nothing." Allyson quickly lied. "Where's Butcher?"
"Had to take some space." Castle shrugged, as they all stared at one of the monitors, which began showing footage of a press conference of the President of Vought.
"I know the news of Compound V has come as a shock to everyone." Stan Edgar told the press. Behind him was the Seven, volunteering in helping out at Samaritan's Embrace. "It has been a very difficult day for the Vought family. Our focus now is to learn the truth, and we are conducting a robust investigation on Compound V. But, I can not stress this enough, I had no knowledge of its existence. Instead of being created by our founder, Frederick Vought, we believe that it was the work of a small, disaffected team of scientists, led by our former Vice President, Madelyn Stillwell."
At the back of the room, Starlight silently shook her head in disbelief. How did this happen? They came so close to exposing Vought. They couldn't lose! So why did it feel like they were?
"But there are more important matters right now." Edgar continued. "Everyone at Vought sends their thoughts and prayers to the families affected today. However, it should be noted that the events of this tragic day could have been far worse. Today's attack underscores just how dangerous these super terrorists can become. Our superheroes are our last line of defense, and today, the death toll would have been much higher had it not been for the actions of our newest hero, Stormfront, who stopped the terrorist before he could take more innocent lives."
Stormfront took the podium, and began speaking to the masses.
"Thank you, but we all know who the real heroes are, right? These people are struggling every day, so let's give them all a hand."
As people applauded on the monitor, Allyson crossed her arms over her legs, feeling her face contorted with rage. She was the one who murdered those people, not Cameron. And killing them while using racial slurs, no less. It took all her willpower not to smash the monitor right there.
Suddenly, everything became so clear to Allyson now. For the last year, she had been locked up in a cage, only to be saved by the Boys, her new family. Upon finding out that Black Noir was her old savior, Michael Myers, she had tried her damndest to make him remember who he was before. Though she succeeded, he was still on a tight leash because of Vought, the Seven, and Homelander. She thought she lost everything, when he all but forced her to escape, instead of facing her best friend's killer. But now, she had a new drive, a new purpose.
As Allyson stared at the monitor, watching the newest member of the Seven stare directly at the camera, her anger flared, and two words cut through the sea of thoughts she had:
Kill Stormfront.
Butcher entered his old house, back when he still had Becca, and walked around the place. It was just as he remembered it, with a barebones mattress, a dog kennel with no dog, and a microwave and box television. Other than that, empty. Oh, and clothes were strewn about, courtesy of the CIA after Mesmer sold them all out. But that wasn't the reason he was there.
Billy walked to his closet, opening it up to find some of the clothes still there. He parted the shirts, revealing the old keypad at the back, staring at him. Honestly, whoever raided his house did a piss poor job. Butcher stretched his finger out, tapping the correct digits into the keypad.
09212012.
The keypad lit up green, and the secret compartment opened with a hiss. He thought back to when he had it first installed, how he wanted to install biometric security, or at least a hand and fingerprint scanner, but Becca dissuaded him. It would cost way too much, and despite her marketing job at Vought, she didn't make much. Neither did he, as he had only been to New York for a few weeks by then. In that time, he had met Becca, married her, and they had moved into a home together.
Butcher shook his head, remembering the past. It seemed his history would always catch up to him, or that he needed something from it, as he looked at his old gear.
On the back walls were combat armor, with boots, gloves, and a belt and helmet, but unlike anything law enforcement had. Or at least, law enforcement of today. The body armor was heavily padded, being able to stop any bullet by today's standards, maybe even a shotgun blast. Upon the shoulders were faded golden pauldrons, with the depiction of an eagle on them. Butcher smiled grimly, as they reminded him of Homelander's suit. The boots were steel toed, able to crush a man's head, and the gloves were made of a standard fabric material, but lined with lead. On the left breast was a badge, also shaped like a faded, golden eagle, and Butcher stared at the name on it.
Dredd.
Music: "Cornered" from Dredd
That was his name, as well as carrying the title of Judge. At least, it was, before he came here. Before he met Becca. Now, he was Billy Butcher. But maybe… the world needed Dredd again.
Butcher's eyes travelled upward, seeing the black helmet with red accents. They formed an X over the visor, and upon the forehead was a golden badge, depicted to look like the American flag if you looked close.
Billy looked to the left and right, seeing his gear was there. His shotgun, the Widowmaker 2000. Stumm gas grenades for riots. Regular fragmentation grenades. Stun grenades that took the form of a little ball. The boot knife was still there, tucked away in his left boot. Even his daystick hung next to his helmet. Everything was there except…
His Lawgiver. The extra magazines were still tucked away in his bulletproof vest, but the gun itself was gone.
Butcher sighed. So Becca really did take it. She was the only one besides him who knew the passcode. A part of him was saddened, that not only did she disappear, but she also went behind his back and took his weapon. Granted, he had set the gun to accept her DNA as well as his, but that wasn't his point. Another part of him was proud of her for taking it, and apparently shooting Homelander with it as well.
Homelander…
Butcher stopped, remembering the red welt. He had no idea that the Lawgiver could even scratch the supe, let alone leave a bruise. Becca had to have used an armor piercing round. Either that, or maybe a High Ex round would do the trick…
Butcher decided not to worry about that for now, and took off his Hawaiian shirt, revealing the black tank top underneath. He grabbed some gauze that was on the floor of the closet, and wrapped them around both hands, flexing his fingers for a moment. He took off his pants as well, putting on the armored black leggings from his old uniform, and slipped the vest with the pauldrons over the tank top. Next came the heavy bulletproof vest and padding, going over the entire uniform, with the badge on the front.
After zipping up the jacket and vest, Butcher put the boots on, lacing them up and knotting them, before putting tucking wrapping the laces around his ankles. He proceeded to wrap the belt around, securing it tightly, and attached the grenades and daystick to its different hooks and loops. Billy took the shotgun off the wall, mounting it onto his back, and took the helmet, staring into the visor. After a few more seconds of reminiscing of who he was before he came to New York, he turned the helmet over, placing it underneath his arm. He turned around, calmly exhaling, and walked into the bathroom, picking up an electric razor off the sink and staring into the mirror, thinking about the events that placed him here, in New York, ten years ago...
A/N: Well, I think we all know what Butcher's secret is now, after it was teased throughout the entire story. Don't worry, the next chapter will be entirely flashbacks that explain how the by the books Judge Dredd became the foul mouthed jaded Billy Butcher. Maybe it feels a bit OOC, but this is my way of telling a sequel to 2012's Dredd movie. Shame it never got a sequel, even though Karl Urban really wants to do it. Oh well.
Also, I didn't change too much, aside from that I had Frank put down the Deep permanently. At the time of writing this chapter, the Church didn't do anything interesting that affected the main plot. If I ever do a sequel to this story, they'll probably just be reserved at the main antagonists or something. Right now though, I'm only planning on this single installment.
Lastly, from here on out, most chapters will be upped in length. Maybe not to this extent, but they will be longer than 5000 words, as I'm adding a lot more of my own scenes to replace certain moments in the tv show.
Until next time. Stay safe, stay tuned.