A/N: EDIT: Well, this chapter didn't get much love, despite upgrading it to M. That's a shame...T_T
Miss me?
Had to take some time to reassess where I wanted to go with this...but I'm back~!
Sorry if this seems short, in a lot of pain and its driving me bonkers. This chapter drove me nuts, but I promised to update it today, so I hope it lives up to expectations. Hope you're ready; this chapter's told almost entirely from Naruto's perspective, bar a few exceptions.
WARNING! This chapter goes full Boys in spectacular style.
As ever, the Embers rule remains. If people don't like this story? If they don't enjoy it? Well...I'll not continue it. That's no joke, folks. I'm so busy these days with two jobs; basically, I don't have time off. Not anymore. My free time is limited and as such, I can't afford to focus on something folks don't like. Reviews keep me writing in these times, and keep the daily updates flowing. Silence...silence only hurts. I hate having to beg for feedback, but without it...well, it feels like I'm not making an impact.
Not answering any questions this time; lets get right back into the swing of things with Naruto/Noir, shall we?
As ever, I own no references, quotes themes, or memes. Not a wit, not a one! They're all tributes to legends far, far greater than I.
Chapter title comes from the Imagine Dragons song, which fit perfectly with this chapter.
There we go. Disclaimer over. Hope you enjoy~!
Minor verbatim from the Boys.
"You don't understand. Noir has no limits.
There is nothing he won't do to achieve his goals. Noth~ing~!
You want to get in his way? Fine. Be my guest. I'll put some flowers on your grave.
~Little Nina.
Swimming With Sharks
Cindy blinked.
Once. Twice. Thrice, now.
Black Noir was still standing there. He waved at her.
Was it the drugs? Was she seeing things? Had to be. She'd been trapped in this cell for so long now; drugged to the gills, barely able to think. Was it any wonder she'd finally started to see shit? She dragged an arm up to scrub at her eyes. Even that effort felt like dragging herself through wet cement. Yup. Definitely the drugs. Had to be.
Why else would freakin' Black Noir be here?
He held up a syringe, filled with a strange red liquid. It almost seemed to bubble in the vial. She tried to sit up. Tried to move, but the drugs made it nearly impossible.
A finger rose, pressing against his mask. "Shhhh...
She was too dazed to even resist.
He rolled up her sleeve, found a vein, and slotted the needle home. The bubbling red light rushed down, swarming into her blood before he could even put his thumb to the stopper. Adrenaline hit, and when it did, it hit hard. Her heart kicked against her chest, and, had she a mirror to hand, she would've seen her eyes flash scarlet for all of an instant. Alas, she had no such thing and even if she did, it wouldn't have mattered; because her world was overshadowded by unyielding PAIN.
Her body bucked and he caught her, held her, keeping from dashing her head against the wall.
She snarled into his shoulder.
"Hurts...!"
He rocked her back and forth until the agony abated; 'till her mind cleared. Only then did he pull away and offer her his notepad. Her eyes strayed to the camera in the corner above, only to find it drooping uselessly. He'd deactivated it, left it to fizzle and die as he went about his work. Her eyes flitted back to his pad, and the words he'd written within. "Hiya, Cindy. Got an offer for ya. First, ya like breakin' out?"
Her brow furrowed.
...I could just pop you like a grape and escape myself."
She could now, too. Whatever he'd injected her with had left her feeling stronger than ever before.
"You could," something in the tilt of Noir's mask said otherwise, "But then I couldn't offer you the sweet dish of revenge." Another page came and went. "Don't you wanna get back at the people who put you here? Crush 'em, kill 'em, tear 'em apart?"
"What's it to you?"
The cloth portion of his mask shifted, revealing the smile beneath. Was she imagining that, too?
Noir wrote something else then. Something that made Cindy smile, too.
...I'm listening."
(.0.0.0.)
The Plan progressed in the coming weeks.
Naruto -Noir!- took a certain visceral pleasure in it all; nudging some along, holding others back, moving the pieces into place. Some -like Homelander!- were easy to manipulate. Tell them what they wanted to hear, give them a bit of love and they fell over themselves to please you. Others, like A-Train, could be controlled through fear. The speedster was terrified. Of him, of losing his spot in the Seven, of his ghastly overdependence on Compound V being revealed...everything. As he should be. Fear made him foolish. Fear kept him compliant, much like Translucent.
There were outliers, of course. No true plan survived contact with enemy.
Maeve baffled him. After their encounter in the elevator she'd thrown herself headlong into her training. Surprising...and somewhat disappointing; if only because she was still drinking and bedding all manner of men. Now if she'd just sober up and get her head on straight, she might be useful. As things stood, she was too volatile to trust at the moment, much less be near.
Starlight, at least, believed in him. And perhaps she was were right to. He'd done his best to distance her from the fallout that was to come...
"Ah! There you are, Noir! Come in, come in! Pull up a seat!"
...which brought him to the here and now, walking into HER den.
Blue eyes rolled behind the mask; nevertheless, he let her guide him to a table. His fingers tightened around the briefcase in his hand. She'd prepared a feast for him, another temptation to make him remove his mask. As ever, he didn't rise to it. He was still winning their little game.
Little Nina had connections; useful things for a man who dealt in information. Sometimes her price was a bit higher than he liked, but he made do. Really, she wasn't little at all; if anything she was quite tall.
After all he was already swimming with sharks. She was a guppy compared to them. Almost made him smile behind the mask.
She must have caught it too; because her eyes narrowed.
"I do like the strong silent type." Her finger tapped at the table with intent. "However, this...information you seek," she made a show of dragging out the sentence, rolling the words over her tongue to tease him. "Why do you chase a dead man?
He held up his notepad. Call it a hunch.
Homelander had to die, no two ways about it, but he couldn't be the one to kill him. Couldn't be connected to it. Now if there was a weapon that could end that sonuvabich...well, well, well. It would be a simple matter of finding someone to point and pull the trigger. Soldier Boy was that key. Whatever had killed him could surely be used on Homelander. Even if it didn't kill him it could wound him at the least.
And if, by some chance, Soldier Boy was still alive...
Of course, he couldn't tell Nina any of that. Up came the pad again. I don't pay you to ask questions. Its none of your concern.
...I think it is."
Don't get greedy.
"Me?" Little Nina tilted her head., touched one hand to her bosom and batted long lashes at him. "Perish the thought."
He thumped the briefcase down on the table. Her eyes flicked down to it. Back to him.
"Pity." her lips curled in a coy smile. "And here I had hoped for a glimpse under that mask of yours...I don't want your money this time. I want you. Your services."
Naruto -Noir!- flicked out a knife and let it dance across his knuckles. On a strictly professional level it shouldn't have bothered him. He'd done enough already. What was one more body on the pile compared to that? If she wanted him to make another rival dissappear...well. It was killing for a cause. Nothing more.
"Pah!" Nina scoffed. "You silly Americans, always so quick to violence. "No," she laid a leg over his. "I was thinking something more...personal, this time."
The knife tickled the underside of her chin and went away. He held up his notepad, a single question etched within.
"But of course." Nina ran a hand over his, planted it on his shoulder, used it as leverage to haul herself into his lap. "The mask stays on." her smile was sin itself. "It wouldn't be any fun otherwise." Her hands rose to cup either side of his face. "When I learn what -who!- you are, I wish it to be of my own volition. Not because you pitied me."
He grapped her by the hips and dragged her into his lap. Ripped her skirt.
Nina's lips brushed his through the mask. "Never pity me, Noir.
She spread her legs.
(.0.0.0.)
"Ah, my friend! It is good to see you again!"
Naruto smiled behind the mask and embraced his old ally.
No matter the time or the place, Frenchie would always be Frenchie.
It really was good to see him after all this time. He clapped him on the shoulder and let him lead him into the...apartment? Could this be called that? Felt too generous, you know? Thinning paint, ugly carpet, foul smell, and he wouldn't trust the beds if his life depended on it. Ugh. More a roach motel than anything else. Still, it served their purposes. Butcher had been busy with the time -and intel!- he'd given him. He saw MM lurking in the corner; he was also pleased to see both Hughie and Robin in attendance.
"Hey!" the latter, at least, immediately headed his way and shook his hand. "Been awhile, hasn't it? I mean, I'm sure you've been busy doing thing and saving people and...I'm rambling against, aren't I?"
Naruto clapped him on the shoulder and granted him a silent nod.
Good kid, this one. A bit overeager, but he'd go far in this line of work. He'd take some solace in that. These two were alive because of him. If he'd been even a second slower, A-Train would've run right through them like so much meat. He tried not to think about that.
He caught Robin's eye across the way. She nodded once, but made no move to approach.
"Sorry." Hughie stepped in with a quick word. "She's been a bit...off since it happened. But she's getting better."
"I'm fine!" she groused. "Just don't feel like talking...
MM grumbled something unpleasant from the corner. Naruto leaned past him and gave a jaunty wave, if only to rile him up.
Worked like a charm.
"Cut the cheeky shit." MM leaned forward, regarding him like some diseased pustule. "You've got some nerve coming back after all this time. We working for you now?"
Kurama rolled his eyes. "Some people never change, I see.
Butcher emerged from a side-room, arms laden with electronic equipment. "Other way around, mate."
Frenchie quirked a brow. "You work for us?"
He waffled a hand to and fro. More or less.
Frenchie chuckled. "Ze enemy of my enemy is my friend, no?"
Noir flicked him a thumbs up.
Hughie sighed. "Still ain't gonna talk?"
Butcher of all people came to his rescue.
"He'll speak when he has something to say. Let it be lads...and lass." he inclined a nod toward Robin and received one in return. "Now then," he swept a hand across the table, sweeping something he couldn't quite see to the side from this angle, "Our golden goose here," Noir made a disgruntled noise but didn't object, "Has given us some right juicy intel...
Their plan was a good one, ruthless in its simplicity. There was just one snag.
He held up his notepad. "What about the girl? We need to find her."
"We'll deal with this prick first." Butcher said. "Then we find the lass he's got locked away." Frenchie made to protest, only to fall silent as Billy raised his hand. "Look mate, I don't fancy running from a speedster. Best to deal with one arse before we start making waves with another.
Robin clicked her tongue. "Waves, he says. This'll be a freaking tsunami...
Butcher grinned. "Exactly."
...good. Bastard deserves to pay."
Hughie squirmed a little, but didn't object.
MM rumbled his assent. "Fine. But if this shit goes sideways...
Butcher slapped one hand against the table and came. "It won't. Have some faith in Frenchie."
The frenchman preened and said something Naruto didn't quite catch; whatever it was had him and MM bickering all over again.
Naruto let them banter with one another. His own thoughts turned inward. He wasn't happy with this latest development, but he could see the sense in it...even if he didn't intend to listen. He caught Frenchie's eye across the room and tilted his head. The frenchman granted him a quick nod. Unlike the Boys -and Girl!- themselves he knew where A-Train's lab was; he just had yet to visit it. If the girl was likely being kept there, he'd find her. One way or another. It was just a matter of sending a clone or two. He'd have her out in a jiffy, none the wiser.
"Oi, Noir." Butcher's voice plucked him out of his reverie. "We're good here. Don't you have a race to get to?"
This time, he didn't bother to conceal his smile behind the mask.
The vial sailed through the air. He caught it.
The Plan Proceeded.
(.0.0.0.)
"It would be a shame if A-Train lost his race...
"You know what to do, then?"
...I do."
(.0.0.0.)
A-Train felt off.
Not the good kinda off either, like coming down after a high. This...he didn't know what this was. Heart hammering in his chest, mouth dry, the roar of the crowd in his ears-it was all he could do to think straight. Was the sun always so damn bright? He squinted behind his glasses, wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, stifled a cough, frowned when his hand came away red.
'The he'll's going on here...?'
Compound V was supposed to be that good shit, a boost to his system, even if it came with a cost. But this? Reggie felt...sick. Slower. Sluggish. The vial had been blue, hadn't it? He was sure it was. Noir had delivered it to him personally. So why did he feel like death warmed over? Nah...had to be nerves. Had to be. He didn't want to think of anything else.
He could see his brother looking his way, frowning. Did he look that bad? "You alright?"
"Yeah, yeah." he waved a hand at his brother. "I'm good."
He wasn't. Not at all.
His chest ached. His knees were weak; felt like they could buckle any second now. But he couldn't chicken out. Not here. Not now. He'd be the laughing stock of the world if he bowed out in front of his fans. Fastest man alive? Yeah, right. Man who ran away, more like. Nobody would take him seriously. He had to do this. Win, and everyone would finally stop ragging on him. Lose...no.
Don't lose. Not that. Anything but that.
Screw up here and he'd lose everything. No more Seven, no more sponsorships. No more anything.
Washed up. He could them hear them. All of them. Laughing at him. Worthless. Second-rate.
He looked to the crowd, past them now. Saw them staring at him. Homelander. Noir. Maeve. Was it his imagination, or were they smirking at him? Their voices echoed in his head.
"Loser...loser...
"Such a slowpoke...
"It'd be a shame if you lost...
A-Train shook his head furiously. When he looked back, they weren't smiling in the least. Or even speaking. Had he imagined it? Was he hearing things. Seeing shit that wasn't there...wasn't he? They wouldn't say that to his face. Would they? He didn't know. Thought and reality began to blur around him. He swayed on his feet, feeling even worse than before.
"Runners, take your marks!
Crap! Get into position!
The gun went off.
Shockwave blurred like his namesake. A-Train hurtled after him. Fast. Faster than him-no. Not fast. Not at all. Bastard outpaced him in an instant. No, no, no. Faster. He had to be faster. He was faster! He should be! He knew he was! Why wasn't he winning?! For every step he took, his rival gained three more. Everything was moving so slowly...
His opponent crossed the finish line first. He shot past him a heartbeat later.
He couldn't stop! The wall reared up at him. Cold. Cruel. Unforgiving.
And he knew. Noir. He'd been drugged. "Oh, you mother f-
A-Train struck the wall with an awful crunch.
Blood splashed up through the air.
It was the last thing he saw.
(.0.0.0.)
Butcher whistled.
Absolutely diabolical.
"Blood hell Frenchie, what did you do...?"
(.0.0.0.)
...well, shit."
Homelander clapped a hand to his forehead and heaved a sigh. Distantly, he heard Maeve vomit in the background. He ignored her; just as he did the sirens, the screams, all of it. No, his eyes remained fixed on the grisly stain that had once been A-Train. Wasn't much left of the poor bastard. No doubt they'd call it an accident come evening. A tragedy.
A wordless rasp drew his attention.
He pivoted with a frown, looking toward his flank.
Noir seemed far too smug. His heart rate was calm as ever, but he knew. He could feel it. He knew that look. Their eyes met. A beat of understanding passed between them.
Homelander looked back to the chaos below. No one was focused on them. Not at soul. Good.
He stepped in, close enough to whisper. "Did you have something to do with this?"
Noir feigned shock and touched a hand to his well-armored chest.
"I'm not mad, I just want to understand why you did it."
Maeve's head whipped around, balking. "He did what?"
He silence her with a glower. "Not. So. Loud."
"..."
"Hey," he laid a hand on Noir's shoulder. "You've never lied to me before. Don't start now. We're family, remember?"
Noir wasn't intimidated in the least. He never was, and he respected that. At length, his comrade held up his notepad for him to see. Little more than a scribble, really. But beneath it...something only he could see, written in script so minute only a man with his level of vision could see. Words. Homelander read them. A beat of silence passed, and another. And then.
He smirked. That was his reason? Well, well. Ohhh, that was rich.
Had they been alone, he would've laughed himself silly.
Yes, it all made sense, of course.
They were sharks, after all. Survival of the fittest. A-Train had forgotten that...and now he'd paid the price.
...alright, then!" he settled for a firm embrace instead, the better to hide his smile. "Didn't think you had it in you." He looked back to the mess below and feigned a grimace, just in case anyone was looking. "Well, that's certainly one way to get rid of dead weight. Put in a word with Shockwave tomorrow. Tell him we've got an open spot." Ugh. He'd have to go down there now, act like this was a crisis rather than a triumph. He gave Noir's shoulder one last squeeze. "Good work. You're a real pal."
He took flight without a second thought, descending to the crying, mewling masses.
They all looked to him for safety, for explanation, for understanding. He was happy to provided it. His approval rating would improve by leaps and bounds for this. It was so easy to pretend for their sake, and he did so now gladly.
"Now, now," he raised both his voice and his arms to be heard by them. "The danger's passed, everything's going to be alright.
Amidst all that senseless white noise, he never heard Noir laugh. Not a once.
Perhaps if he had, he could've avoided what was to come.
Noir tittered soundlessly to himself.
All part of the Plan.
A/N: Oh no. A-Train died to his own hubris...and drugs. Lots of drugs, courtesy of Frenchie. Too Bad, so sad.
As I've said before, ain't nobody safe in his story!
Hope you're enjoying the madness!
As ever, we're following the Embers Rule here. That's no joke. Really, it isn't. If folks don't like this...well, it won't be continued. Every bit of feedback helps. Reviews are the fuel which keeps me writing in these crazy times. With my tight schedule -two jobs!- I simply don't have time to write a story folks don't like. Without them, my inspiration cannot take wing and I can't write a word. So by all means, speak up!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy some previews.
SPOILERS AHOY~!
(Previews)
Popclaw was crying when he found her. Bawling her eyes out.
"I can't believe he's dead...
Kimiko stared at a man in a mask. The man stared back.
He swept an arm toward her cell.
Held out a notepad.
"Open?"
She tilted her head. Wiped a hand across her grimy face. He wasn't speaking. Was he like her?
Leave it, MM! That lad over there," Butcher stabbed a finger at him, "Is a man of focus. Commitment. Sheer will. You wanna tussle with him? Be my guest. But you won't come out alive."
...fine."
He took Butcher aside. "Got something fo ryou.
"The fuck is this?"
He handed him the vial. "A gift."
After a moment's pause, Butcher held the red liquid up to the light. "This ain't V. Permanent, is it?"
"In repeated doses. You'll be stronger. Faster. Heal from just about any wound. Hell, ya might even be able to fly if you hit the jackpot...but there's a price...
"There always is." His lips thinned in a familiar grimace. "Balls to it. Lets hear it, then."
"You need to keep your anger in check. Focused. If you lose control...
"Do it, Hughie. They'll never stop. This is the only way to make them pay."
Kimiko made a gesture.
Noir tilted his head.
Butcher sighed. "Oi, you two. Knock that shit off."
The duo shared a grin.
"There's a price on your head, Noir. You've ruffled a few feathers. Want some help?"
That blank facade stared at him for a long moment.
"Great!" Homelander clapped him on the back. "You and me, cracking some skuls. It'll be just like old times."
"I want to make a deal!"
"There will be no deals."
"I've done my research on you. You're not so tough.
Naruto blew out a sigh.
"Yes, well, your research may have been a little...inadequate."
...you can talk? Wait, no, no. No!" They stumbled back, balking at their now ruined arm. "You shouldn't be able to taaaaaaaaaargh?!
Their words pitched into a shriek as he shattered their knee.
"Hurts, doesn't it." he reached around and crushed their fist in his hand. Broke their fingers "What do you feel?" One. "Confusion?" Two. "Disgust?" Three. "Terror?" Four, now. "I wonder if that's what they felt before they died." Five finally, leaving I mean, it can be quite jarring to discover someone's actually a monster...
"It wasn't me! I swear!"
Naruto inhaled sharply through his nose. "I believe you. But you know what they say."
"Wait, you can taaaaaaaa-
Their words died in a gurgle as he tore their head clean off their shoulders.
"Dead men tell no tales."
"Good? Me? No. I...am not a good person. I haven't been one for a very long time.
Y'see, that was you mistake. Thinking I'm good. I'm not. Not anymore.
Let me tell you aaaaaalll about the definition of insanity...
...and how it broke a "good" man...
...just like...I'm about...
...to break...
...YOU."
Butcher opened the door. Saw the slaughter. Whistled now.
"Right, those lads are dead...
Bloody diabolical.
R&R~!