Penance And Redemption

by PotCFan101

Six months after stopping Beth Chase and Billy Russo's murderous doppelganger, Frank Castle murders the representative of Bagalia, Bruce Wayne, in front of the United Nations. On the run and forced to team up with one of Gotham's most recent killers, Frank sets out to put an end to Bagalia and its leader, a returned Baron Zemo. Finale of the "Vengeance and Punishment" series.

14. New Friends

A/N: Well, I was hoping on getting this fic done before Christmas, but that's not possible. Finals week is technically over, and that's what captured most of my attention. Oh well. But here's an extra long chapter that'll hopefully keep everyone satisfied!

---

Music: "Undefined Space" from Dredd 2012 OST

Judge Dredd stopped his motorcycle a few feet away from a lake house on the outskirts of New York, with large glass windows on all sides. The lake house in question once belonged to Tony Stark, famously known as the Iron Man. Nowadays, it was inhabited by his widow, and if Joe's memory was correct, his ten year old daughter as well.

Joe sighed, before trudging up the lake house's gravel driveway. About halfway there, the door opened, revealing a woman in a white jacket and pants, with her vibrant red hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Good evening, Dredd." the woman greeted, wearing a mirthful smile. Joseph felt his throat tighten, as he stared at the wife of Tony Stark.

Pepper Potts.

"Miss Potts." Joe nodded respectfully. After a few seconds of patiently waiting, Pepper lifted her hand, motioning towards the inside of the house.

"Do you want to come in?"

Dredd slowly nodded again, walking towards the house. He was joined by Pepper inside, where he was greeted by the familiar interior of the house- a living room, study, and stairwell leading up to the bedrooms.

"Miss Potts…" Joe murmured, turning to look at the widow. "I'm sorry-"

"It wasn't your fault." Pepper insisted, walking over to the study. Joseph followed her in, seeing what appeared to be one of the War Machine armors hanging on a rack in the corner. What caught the Judge's eye, however, was the fact that on the chest, there was a white skull painted there. Just like the one of Frank Castle's modified vest.

"I don't remember that the last time I was here." Joseph frowned.

"Tony worked on that to counter Homelander's abilities. After he saw you and Mister Castle kill Homelander, he decided to add the skull." Pepper chuckled. "He had it finished too, but told me he'd give it to Frank when the time was right."

"And when do you think that time is?" Joe raised an eyebrow behind his helmet. Potts pursed her lips in confusion, before deciding to change the subject.

"The last time you were here, you needed Tony's help to create a weapon that could kill Homelander. What do you need this time?"

"Information." Dredd told her, as his memory of meeting Redfield becoming clearer, revealing his first name was Chris. "I'm looking for a man named Chris Redfield."

Pepper raised an eyebrow curiously, before walking over to the study's desk and accessed the laptop waiting for her.

"Chris Redfield… founding member of the BSAA." Potts listed off, as Joseph saw an image of a man with a dark brown beard. Definitely the guy from his memory.

"According to the BSAA's files, he went rogue and took control of the elite black ops team Hound Wolf Squad." Pepper continued. "One of the last reported missions was in February twenty-twenty-one, somewhere in Romania."

Romania… what the drokk was over there?

"Is there anything about a bank robbery in Queens during May?" Dredd pressed. "Say a report of the supe Behemoth's death?"

Pepper quickly typed into her computer, putting her tech savvy skills to good use when security footage suddenly popped up onto the screen, depicting four individuals inside a bank in the Queens district. Three of them were instantly recognized by Dredd as Chris, a supe with red skin and a mask who was known as Behemoth, and himself- back when he was still Billy Butcher. The fourth person, however, was unmistakably a blonde haired woman wearing a black hood, who morphed into a swarm of flies. The flies quickly entered Behemoth's mouth when he lifted up Chris by the throat, eventually forcing themselves into his body and causing him to explode from the inside.

"Jesus!" Pepper yelled, watching the security footage show the bank's walls get covered in blood and gore. Meanwhile, Dredd's eyes burned a hole into the security footage, vividly remembering when he, as Butcher, fought Behemoth. Chris and the woman, who he remembered was named Bela, had arrived right when the supe threw him through a window, and he tried to recruit the woman into The Boys after she displayed her unnatural power.

Gotcha.

"Can facial recognition pick them up on their current location?" the Judge inquired. Potts responded by typing further on the laptop, bringing up a Stark satellite that filtered through billions of the world's citizens, before settling on the two Joe was looking for.

"Seems they're back in Romania." Pepper noted, seeing an image of the two of them in what looked like a remote village, with soldiers and them, and…

"Stone?" Joseph frowned, looking closer at the footage. Indeed, it appeared that one of Castle's adopted daughters, Riley Stone, was there with Chris and Bela. But how?

As Dredd pondered this, Pepper stood up, lifting her watch and pressing a button.

"I'm guessing you're going to go after them?" Potts suggested. Joseph turned to look at her, giving a short nod.

"Yes."

Pepper's lips lifted up into a tiny smirk, as the both of them heard the ground shake.

"Take the private jet. It's fast, but it'll still be an overnight trip."

Joe looked out the window, seeing the nearby lake suddenly open up, raising up a large jet on a platform. Turning back towards Potts, the futuristic lawman reached out, shaking her hand.

"Thanks."

---

Music: "Bad Judges" from Dredd 2012 OST

Cass sat in her and Frank's home, replaying the vision she had at the crime scene earlier that day. She wasn't sure why, but something about that image of the green skinned man killing the woman seemed… off. Before she could think about what she saw, the former Psi-Judge heard a loud whoosh of air outside, and she looked over her shoulder to see the front door was opened, revealing her husband in the doorway.

"Frank." Anderson-Castle smiled, getting up from the living room's couch and walking over to hug the Punisher. Her husband was momentarily surprised at how quick she crossed the room, but he eventually wrapped his arms around her to return the embrace.

"Hey… you good?"

Cass slightly shook her head against Frank's chest, a no.

"What happened, Cass?" Frank asked, rubbing her back. The psychic bit her lip, trying to muster up the courage to speak, before looking at her husband.

"The body, that Madani and I found today." Anderson-Castle murmured. "She was found with two burning holes in her, like… like…"

"Like someone with Homelander's powers." Frank muttered. "But it's not just that, yeah?"

Cass shook her head, before continuing.

"The one witness who was there, I looked into his mind, and I saw…"

The psychic paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as she remembered what she saw.

"I saw a bald man with green skin, wearing a black cape. This… thing, it looked right at me. It was like he knew I was there-"

Before Cass finished speaking, the wall to their left suddenly burst apart, revealing a humanoid being hovering towards them.

Green skin, black cape, bald head. Just like Cass described him. Reminds me of that guy who ran around with Supergirl in National City, but he's been dead for years.

Frank reached for his gun, but the green skinned monster flew straight towards him, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up in the air.

You think you can stop me with a puny toy? A deep, rumbling voice cut through Castle's mind, making him realize this… thing was telepathic. Just like Cass.

Go to Hell. Frank's thoughts growled, before he bucked his head forward and smashed into the alien's crown, causing them both to reel back and drop to the floor. Before the monster could fully get up, Castle tackled him against the wall, while Cass began to run upstairs. Frank had an idea what she was doing, and in an attempt to buy more time, continued to pummel this… what exactly was he? Was he a Martian, just like that one friend of Supergirl's? He certainly looked the part.

As Frank continued to ponder what this thing was, Cass suddenly ran down the stairs, brandishing her Lawgiver.

"Hi-Ex!"

Castle dove to the ground, while the gun made the familiar electronic noise, and Anderson pulled the trigger. The resulting shot made the green intruder stumble back, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Give him an incendiary round!" Frank shouted. Cass repeated the command, and the futuristic gun swapped ammunition, right before she squeezed the trigger again. A smoking bullet shot out, hitting the monster directly in the chest.

Frank's hope was reignited the same time the flames were, as the being was engulfed in flames. The monster shrilly screamed, before suddenly flying away at an alarming speed, most likely finding a body of water to put the flames out. Meanwhile, Cass ran towards her husband, quickly helping him up.

"You okay?" the psychic asked.

"Yeah." Frank murmured, looking out the hole in their wall. "Fire hurt him."

Cass gave him a strange look, a confused frown forming in her face.

"What?"

"Fire hurt him." Castle repeated, still staring out the newly made window.

"Definitely a Martian."

---

Gotham

Standing on the roof of the Gotham City Police Department, a middle aged man with red hair and a mustache wiped his glasses while smoking his pipe, pausing to look up to see a circular spotlight with the image of a bat shining across the night sky. The man sighed, checking his watch, before turning around to find two people wearing armored suits with capes and bat shaped cowls, standing a few feet in front of him. One of them wore bright red hair with her cowl, as well as had a bat symbol on her chest that matched the color.

"I'll probably never get used to that." the man muttered, while walking forward. "But it's good to see you again, Batman."

"Likewise Jim." Bruce nodded. "I heard you were one of the Vanished when Thanos attacked. I'm sorry."

Jim sadly shook his head, while turning towards the woman in the red wig and cowl.

"I thought Batwoman was dead."

"You thought wrong, Gordon." Batwoman murmured, using a voice modulator. "I was on a vacation."

Jim looked at the woman curiously, before pulling out a file with a picture of a man in a white suit, his face covered in a black skull mask.

"Him again?" Batman asked, frowning at the sight. Gordon nodded, while flipping open the file.

"The undercover unit was able to get a name from the streets. He calls himself Black Mask." the police officer explained. "He runs a crime syndicate called the False Face Society, and is apparently responsible for the new drug Snakebite."

"Are there any leads?" Batwoman asked. Before Jim could reply, a new voice suddenly spoke up behind them, causing the armored vigilantes to turn around and see a man in black combat gear and holding a rifle, with his beard and black hair neatly trimmed and slicked back.

"Billy." the female vigilante smiled warmly, taking a few steps forward.

"The man under the mask is Roman Sionis, head of Janus Cosmetics." the man announced. "I had Frank's old friend Lieberman track their getaway vans from the security footage. They always go to and from Janus' basement, and when David hacked into their cameras, we saw Roman take off his mask."

"Then that's where we're headed." Batman declared, taking out his grapnel gun and swinging away on a line. Batwoman followed suit, but not before she grabbed Billy by the shoulder, leaving Jim on the roof.

"Huh. Nice they didn't sneak off this time." Gordon muttered, walking back towards the roof exit.

---

Music: "Like A Dog Chasing Cars" from The Dark Knight OST

Batman, Batwoman, and Billy landed on a rooftop across from Janus Cosmetics, looking over to the rather tall building.

"Good work, Mister Russo." Bruce nodded, shaking Billy's hand. "I'm impressed you were able to figure out where the Snakebite was coming from."

"Don't mention it, Wayne." Russo nodded, as he set up his rifle. "I think you're just a bit rusty, that's all."

Ignoring the comment, Batman looked over to the cosmetics building, activating a form of nightvision in his cowl to see at least a dozen heat signatures.

"Billy, give us covering fire." Batwoman more or less ordered, as Bruce suddenly leapt off the building and glided towards Janus. She was about to follow, but Russo suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him, and pressed his lips against hers. The vigilante melted in his arms, shutting off her senses for a few moments, before Billy broke off the embrace, looking at her fondly.

"Be careful, Beth."

Beth smiled and nodded, as she turned around and followed Wayne's gliding, jumping off the roof herself and spreading her cape out. The two bat-vigilantes soared through the sky, kicking out with their feet and shattering a window on the thirteenth floor of Janus Cosmetics, just as four men wearing black skull masks entered via an elevator. Unfortunately, it wasn't Sionis, as their suits where black, and the masks only covered their faces, leaving the backs of their heads exposed.

"Only four?" Batwoman smirked, extending a metal staff. "This'll be too easy."

Beth spoke too soon, as one of the goons suddenly rushed forward at an alarming speed, tackling her to the floor and began punching her in the face and chest. Bruce was about to assist his cousin, but the other three goons charged at him, overwhelming him in seconds. Despite Batman and Batwoman's punches and kicks, the henchmen were apparently unaffected, as they pummeled them with increased strength. Even the echoing gunshots, that seemed to signal that Russo was shooting their attackers, were ineffective, as the goons didn't let up.

"Billy… help…" Beth murmured, before a final punch knocked her unconscious.

---

When Beth came to, she found herself staring up at a dark concrete ceiling, with steel pipes running up and down. Looking to her left, she saw Batman strapped down to some kind of conveyor belt with chains, while to her right was a woman with curly black hair tied to another. It only took her a moment to realize she was in the exact same predicament-

"...why are you doing this to Angelique?!" a scream suddenly pierced the room. Batwoman looked in the direction of the voice, seeing a dark skinned woman with brown hair trailing after a man in a white suit and full black skull mask. The two of them walked past a table, which Beth quickly noticed had a plethora of chemistry equipment for drugs, as well as… was that a white flower, sitting in a pot on the end?

"She's done everything you've asked with making the Snakebite! We both have!"

"And yet she still fucked up!" Black Mask yelled in a gruff voice, marching over to the woman next to Batwoman and flipping a switch. A circular saw suddenly descended down from the ceiling, stopping until it was level with Angelique's torso and began to move sideways.

"When I wanted her to add Compound V to the formula, I wanted bonafide supes! Not some Captain America wannabes!"

The trapped woman began to scream, as the blade cut into her torso slowly, eventually bisecting her completely and spraying blood everywhere.

"NO!" the other woman yelled, rushing towards her newly dead friend. She was stopped however, by Black Mask grabbing her shoulder and roughly pushing her away, spinning her around back towards the table.

"Pull yourself together, Ryan." the mobster growled. "With Angelique gone, I still need someone to manufacture the Snakebite."

"Go to Hell!" Ryan shouted, turning back towards Black Mask and attempting to punch him. The masked man simply sighed, pulling out a gun and shooting her in the head, splattering her blood across the table, equipment, and the flower.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Beth demanded, glaring at Black Mask.

"What? It's an HR matter." the mob boss shrugged. "What are you, OSHA?"

"We're here to put an end to your operation, Sionis." Batman snarled, attempting to free himself of his restraints.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere." Roman chuckled, as he nodded behind them. Batwoman craned her neck as far as she could, seeing those same goons as before start up the saw again, with the blade inching towards her body.

"You sadistic piece of-"

Beth was suddenly cut off by Black Mask's cruel laughter, as he leaned in.

"You think you're better than me, Alice?" Roman sneered. "What, you think I wouldn't put two and two together, that you were the new Batwoman, after the old one was found with her skull split in two?"

Kane suddenly began to panic, as an evil glint appeared in Sionis' eye.

"And that means… the Bat is our old friend Brucey-boy." Black Mask chuckled, looking over to the Dark Knight. "When will you learn Bats? This whole city is sadistic."

Bruce glared at Roman, before clearing his throat.

"No. There's still good people in Gotham. It was the system that was corrupt."

"Well, what better way to change it than from within?" Sionis snickered.

"You're not changing shit!" Beth yelled, as the saw got closer.

"And you are?" Black Mask retorted.

"I'm doing my best." Beth protested. "Every day I put this suit on-"

"Your best isn't good enough!" Roman shouted, ripping off his mask so that she could see his rage fuelled expression, complete with his jet black hair and striking brown eyes.

"I know that better than anyone! My daughter was sentenced to Arkham by your Crow father, and when you freed every inmate, you caused her death!"

Sionis calmed down, placing his mask back on his face.

"Nothing you do will ever wash away what you've done, Alice." Black Mask sneered. "My daughter's blood, along with countless others', will always be on your hands-"

Bang bang!

Roman suddenly looked up, seeing Billy Russo suddenly enter the warehouse looking room, firing off several more shots from his rifle and dropping all of the goons around them. The display forced Black Mask to pull out his own handgun and fire while backing up, as Billy moved closer, shutting off the saw once he was inches from Batwoman.

"Are you okay?" Russo asked, pausing to shoot at the chains. Beth quickly nodded, rolling off the conveyor belt, while Billy shot the chains binding Batman. Unfortunately for him, that provided Roman a chance to shoot him in the shoulder, and the soldier felt his entire left side explode in pain.

Billy grit his teeth, shifting his focus back to Black Mask and firing in a wide arc, hitting a volatile canister. As the container began to hiss from the gunshot, a stream of fire began to shoot out, causing Batman's eyes to widen. Thinking quickly, Bruce fired his batclaw at Roman's shoulder, pulling him forwards, just as the canister exploded. The deafening boom was not without physical consequences, as Sionis screamed from the fire licking his mask, seemingly melting into his skin from the sheer heat.

"We gotta get out of here!" Batwoman declared, as more canisters around the warehouse began to explode. "This whole place is gonna blow!"

Billy nodded, and grabbing Beth's hand, he began to lead her out of what she assumed was the basement of Janus cosmetics, but not before she picked up the plant off the table, which was now soaked in blood. Batman followed soon after, carrying an injured Black mask over his shoulder, and the four raced up the maintenance stairs, as flames licked at their heels.

Minutes later, Billy and Batwoman burst out of the building's basement, with Batman and Black Mask right behind them.

"Sorry I was late." Russo murmured, looking back at Beth. "It's not like I had a grapnel or anything."

"Well, you got there just in time." Batwoman smirked, leaning in to kiss her boyfriend. Just before their lips connected, Bruce cleared his throat, causing the pair to look over towards him.

"We need to bring him to Arkham."

Billy smirked, as he tapped his phone.

"Don't worry, I called Gordon on my way to save your ass-"

A shrill, piercing screech suddenly echoed throughout the night, moments before a giant… thing touched down onto the ground several feet away from them. Billy was the first one to get a good look at the creature, as it appeared to be a giant black bat-like monster, having pointy black ears, curved wings, and fangs at least a foot long.

The creature screeched again, this time directing a shockwave towards the group, giving Russo only a few seconds to push Batwoman out of the way, before he was hit by the soundwaves. The blast sent him flying backwards into one of the walls of Janus Cosmetics, yet he still fired his rifle, striking the beast at center mass. The monster screamed loudly from being peppered with bullets, but was otherwise unhharmed, until Batman stepped forward. Bruce set down Sionis for the moment, before pulling out a small device and pulling the trigger, sending out a ball of electricity that hit the monster square in the face. The beast was electrocuted for a few short seconds, but it quickly recovered before Wayne could run forward and try to subdue it, opting to scream loudly and fly away.

Russo breathed a sigh of relief, as Batwoman got up, helping Bruce with picking up Black Mask again. Still, one question kept nagging Billy's mind, as he stared up at the night sky.

"What the fuck was that?"

---

Madripoor

Millie, Bucky, Sam, and the rest of Hellhound Squad sat in the back of a cargo plane, being flown by a friend of a friend's, named Valkyrie. When Thanos first snapped his fingers, Val's old team of mercenaries were among the Vanished, leaving just her and her closest friend Dax alive. While Val continued taking odd assassin jobs, Dax joined the Boys, but was killed by Homelander on Chaos Day. Now that the rest of the mercs were brought back, they had all gone their separate ways, trying to find their place in this new world.

Kessler looked around at her team, seeing them preparing for what would possibly be a fight. William was fiddling with his trick arrows, while Harley played around with some of his electronic devices. Alice twirled a knife in her hands, occasionally looking up and shooting Millie a reassuring smile. The leader of Hellhound Squad grinned back, before turning towards Bucky and Sam, who stayed silent. However, while Sam was twiddling his thumbs, Bucky was ready a red leather book. Millie's curiosity got the best of her, and she leaned in, seeing several names that were crossed off, with the one at the top being circled-

Bucky suddenly snapped the book shut, giving her an irritated look.

"Sorry." Millie quickly apologized. "I just-"

"Don't look at it again." James scolded, placing the book back in his pocket. Kessler reluctantly nodded, as she got up and made her way to the cockpit, standing next to Valkyrie.

"Thanks again for doing this, Val."

The pilot, securing her headset over her long brain hair, gave a respectful nod, as she flashed a tight smile.

"Frank Castle was a friend of Dax's. That makes you a friend too."

Millie smiled warmly, just as Clayton stood up, taking out his tablet and tapping away.

"Okay, I was able to contact Felicity, and she set us up with convincing identification." William announced, first pointing to Wilson.

"You are a powerful mob boss by the name of Conrad Mack, who also goes by 'Smiling Tiger'." William told Sam, much to his annoyance. "Millie, Alice, Harley, and myself are his elite bodyguards, handpicked and trained by him-"

Clayton looked over to Bucky, and Millie tensed, knowing what he was going to say.

"The Winter Soldier."

Barnes' eyes lit up in fury, as he quickly stood up.

"WHAT?!" James yelled, making Kessler begin to walk back towards everyone.

"You want me to go back to that life?!"

Once Millie reached Bucky, she placed her hand on his shoulder, trying her best to sound non-threatening.

"I know it's asking a lot, and you think he's gone but we need you to return to that past." Kessler murmured. "If we want to find these Flag Smashers, we have to play our roles perfectly, and not slip up, no matter what."

Bucky turned to look at Millie, about to deliver a retort, when he looked into her eyes, seeing… loss. And pain, mixed with guilt. Guilt for what, he didn't know, but somehow, it felt greater than his own.

In that moment, James realized something about Millie Kessler: she knew how it felt. He wasn't sure how, but she knew.

Barnes' gaze softened, giving a reluctant nod, just as the cargo plane began to descend.

"Thank you." Millie nodded back, before they all got strapped into their seats, waiting for the plane to touch down in Madripoor.

---

Half an hour later, Bucky, Sam, and Hellhound Squad were walking through the streets of Madripoor, having received a change of attire. Millie and the rest of her team were wearing all black private military fatigues, courtesy of Val, while Sam wore a colorful red and orange suit, complete with dapper shoes. Only Bucky kept his usual clothes.

"Okay, I was able to reach out to Mallory, and she told us to head to the Brass Monkey Saloon and ask for the boss. Selby." Millie announced. "She also said the CIA is sending someone to assist us."

"Look at me." Sam complained. "I look like some pimp."

"No, you look the part." William told him, showing an image of the real Conrad on his tablet. Indeed, the Smiling Tiger was the spitting image of Wilson, making Millie wonder if the mobster was a doppelgänger. Sam still grumbled in irritation, as they walked into a nightclub with a neon purple monkey's head above the entrance. All at once, everyone's ears were assaulted by blaring music, yet they pushed on, making it to the bar. The bartender, a dark skinned bald man with mutton chops and glasses, greeted them with a deep grunt, but only addressed Sam.

"Ah, Smiling Tiger. Welcome back."

"Good to be." Wilson nodded, lowering his voice. "I'm here to see Selby."

"Of course." the bartender smiled, as he leaned over and whispered to a bearded man. The entire time, Millie looked out across the club, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, except…

At the end of the bar, a woman in a dark blue dress and flowing brown hair sipped on a bottle of… well, Millie wasn't sure. But she definitely did not belong there. Kessler frowned, as she made her way to the end of the bar, causing the woman to look up.

"You're late."

"And you stick out like a sore thumb." Kessler retorted, looking at her clothes. "Why did Mallory send you here?"

The woman sighed, setting down her bottle and looked Millie in the eyes.

"There is a someone who rules over Madripoor with an iron fist." the agent revealed. "He calls himself the Power Broker."

"Power Broker?" Kessler squinted her eyes in confusion. "I've never heard of him."

"Not many have seen him." the woman added. "But he is judge, jury, and executioner here. Madripoor is his kingdom, and he is king."

Judge, jury… hearing those words reminded Millie of Dredd for a moment, before she focused back on the task at hand.

"I'm sorry, what was your name?"

The agent's eyes widened, holding out a shaking hand.

"Forgive me, where are my manners?" the woman said quickly. "I'm Paloma."

"Millie Kessler." Millie told her, shaking the hand. "How were you planning on finding the Power Broker?"

"Well, it wasn't just me…" Paloma grinned, just as a man in a tuxedo appeared, having electric blue eyes and graying brown hair.

"Miss Kessler." the man nodded. "The name's Bond. James-"

"I know your name." Millie interrupted, though she tried to hide her surprise. "According to the CIA and MI6 files, you're supposed to be dead."

"I still am, officially." Bond agreed. "Seven years ago, I was infected with a nanite based bioweapon, set to kill my daughter and her mother. I should have died when the island was targeted by missiles, yet I survived. But I couldn't return to the world. Not when I had that poison in me."

"So when I did my own investigating and found James, I brought him to the CIA." Paloma continued. "We were able to fry the nanobots from his body, and he's been helping me ever since."

Music: "Attack, Soldier!" from Falcon And The Winter Soldier OST

Millie slowly nodded, before feeling a hand on her shoulder. Fighting the urge to grab the offending limb and throwing whoever it was over her shoulder, she turned around to see that bearded man that was speaking to the bartender moments ago.

"I heard you were trained by the Winter Soldier himself." the man sneered. "Let's see how good you are."

Kessler looked over to Bucky, seeing him give her a nod that more or less told her to attack. Millie quickly obliged, headbutting the man and slamming him into the bar, before kicking his legs out from under him and jabbing him in the face. Before the bearded thug went down, two more had taken his place, ready to tear her apart. The Punisher's pseudo-daughter smirked, ducking under the first criminal's arm and kicking the thug in the stomach, before turning back and kneeing the original attacker in the groin. Just as they both went down at the same time, everyone around them began cocking the pistols, making obnoxiously loud clicking noises throughout the nightclub.

"Good work, my protege." Bucky complimented in Russian. Millie shot him a genuine smile, while the bartender clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention.

"Selby will see you now."

Sam gave a respectful nod, while the bartender nudged his head up towards a flight of stairs, past the bar. Millie nodded a goodbye to Paloma and Bond, before following Wilson, Barnes, and the rest of Hellhound Squad up the stairs, down a hallway filled with cages, and finally, to a room filled with expensive glass cases, with guards surrounding the room. And sitting in the middle was a real leather couch, with a white haired woman sitting down.

"You should know Conrad, that people can't come into my bar and make demands. Not even you." the woman scolded. "Too much has happened since you were last here."

"I'm not making demands, Selby. I'm making an offer." Sam corrected, sitting down on the couch across from her. "I want you to tell me what you know about Compound V. I've heard through the grapevine that there's shipments of the stuff on this island."

"And what will you give me in return?" Selby raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. "Quid pro quo, Conrad."

Sam looked nervously around the room, before settling his gaze on Bucky.

"Him."

Millie blinked in surprise, as Wilson got up and patted James on the back.

"I offer you the Winter Soldier, complete with his programming."

The mob boss smirked, standing up.

"Now there's the Conrad I remember. I'm glad I decided not to kill you." Selby said gleefully. "He will do well in complementing my Black Widow."

At that comment, both Barnes and Kessler frowned, while Sam and the rest of the squad wore confused expressions. Black Widow was here? But how-

"James?"

Bucky looked to his left, seeing a blonde woman in a white suit enter the room, wearing a black vest over her clothes. On her wrists were red gauntlets, which Millie immediately recognized as being similar to what Natasha Romanoff wore as the Black Widow.

"Yelena." Barnes murmured, as the woman walked closer to them.

"Oh, you two know each other?" Selby arched an eyebrow, looking between the two. Yelena, realizing her mistake, quickly turned towards her employer.

"The Winter Soldier was my teacher. He is the who made me who I am."

Satisfied with the story, Selby shrugged, before sitting back down.

"You were right to come to me, Smiling Tiger. After Vought International was raided in America, the small amount of Compound V that still existed was shipped to Madripoor, then reverse engineered." Selby revealed. "Doctor Wilfred Nagel is the man you want to thank for this… or condemn, depending on who's side you're on. The Power Broker had him working on the serum, but… well, things don't always go as planned."

"Is this Nagel still in Madripoor?" Sam asked. Selby chuckled, before getting up from the couch.

"Oh, Conrad, the bread crumbs are free, but the bakery… the bakery will cost you." Selby grinned. "Or should I say… Sam."

Time slowed down for Millie, as she noticed Wilson's eyes widen.

"Who… who's Sam?"

"Don't insult me, Mister Wilson." Selby snapped. "We've all seen you fly around with the Avengers. Do you really think we wouldn't notice you out of your wings? And you-"

The mob boss turned towards Bucky.

"Did you honestly believe we wouldn't know your president pardoned you? Yelena, kill them."

Millie's head whipped over to Yelena, who nervously looked between her, Sam, Bucky, and the rest of Hellhound Squad. Mostly Bucky.

"What are you waiting for, Black Widow? Kill them!" Selby shouted.

Yelena didn't answer, as she looked deeply into Barnes' eyes.

"No." she finally said adamantly, in a thick Russian accent.

"What?" Selby stared at her personal bodyguard in disbelief.

"No." Yelena repeated, louder this time, as she glared at her boss. Selby's face contorted with rage, as she pulled a gun from her suit.

Music: "Square Escape" from No Time To Die OST

"Guards!"

Millie and Hellhound Squad quickly turned towards the door, taking out their own guns and shooting at the guards, while Yelena, Sam, and Bucky began fighting the ones in the room. Just as Selby was about to fire at Wilson, Kessler turned back towards her, shooting her once in the hand to make her drop her weapon, then one in the leg to immobilize her. While everyone else was busy fighting the other criminals, Millie rushed over to the white-haired woman, placing a gun to her head.

"Where's Nagel?" the soldier growled, pressing the barrel to Selby's temple. "Tell me!"

"If I do that, the Power Broker will kill me!" Selby pleaded.

"And what do you think I'll do?" Millie snarled, dropping her voice to sound menacing like Frank. Selby gulped loudly, before speaking.

"The docks! Nagel works in a shipping container in the docks!" the mob boss told her. "Container 4262, that's where you'll find him!"

Millie decided to push her luck, pressing the gun harder.

"And who's the Power Broker? Give me a name."

"I don't know! I've never seen his face!" Selby exclaimed. "I swear, I'm telling the truth!"

Millie glared at the mob boss, while looking up to notice that her squad, Bucky, Yelena, and Sam had finished up with taking out the guards that were trying to invade the room.

"I believe you." Kessler muttered, standing up… only to fire a single round into Selby's head, killing her instantly. Seconds later, all the dead guards' phones lit up, causing Yelena to look at the message that was just sent.

Selby's dead. 1B for her killers.

"Shit." Yelena cursed, getting up and taking a fallen guard's rifle. "You need to get out of here."

"Right." Millie nodded, as she led her squad back out of the room and through the hallway. Sam and Bucky followed soon after, with Yelena bringing up the rear. The group only paused to shoot the occasional guard, while making their way down the stairs to find the bar in complete chaos. Normal patrons were either running away or staying to fight, with the guards scrambling to shoot at the intruders. In the middle of it all, Millie saw Paloma and Bond taking cover behind the bar itself, popping up every now and then to fire machineguns that they must have taken from a couple of dead guards.

"Me without my arrows." William grumbled, ducking behind a table and shooting his pistol. Alice and Harley gritted their teeth in agreement, sharing the same sentiment on not having their favored weapons. But, since they had originally infiltrated this place, they couldn't barge in with their normal gear.

"Go!" Paloma shouted, looking over towards Millie's squad. "We'll hold them off!"

James Bond nodded in agreement, while taking out a pistol and firing at several guards to divert their attention towards him. Kessler smiled in appreciation, and not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, ushered the rest of her squad out of the bar's back entrance, with Sam, Bucky, and Yelena following closely behind. The ragtag group took off running through the streets, cutting through back alleys and empty streets, eventually losing the people who were out for their heads.

"Great." Sam panted, placing his hands on his knees to catch a breather. "So what now?"

"We go for Nagel." Millie declared. "We know where he is-"

"Wait." Yelena interrupted, looking at everyone. "You'll need to rest."

"Do you have something in mind?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I do." the Russian grinned towards Bucky. "I have a safehouse not too far from here."

---

Ten minutes later, Millie, her squad, Bucky, and Sam entered followed Yelena into an expensive looking apartment, having cushy furniture, a spiral staircase leading to a balcony, and a minibar on the other side of the room.

"Damn." Harley commented. "How'd you get all this?"

"By doing what Black Widows are best at- killing for money." Yelena murmured.

"So you threw in with criminals like Selby?" Bucky asked, raising his eyebrows. The Russian folded her arms, staring Barnes down.

"I come back after ten years, only to find that Natasha is dead." Yelena told him. "We all deal with loss in different ways."

The room was awkwardly silent, as Hellhound Squad looked between the adults. It wasn't until Sam cleared his throat, when the tension ceased.

"So how do you and Bucky know each other?"

James looked over to Wilson, before sighing.

"Yelena Belova was part of the Red Room, just like Romanoff." Barnes revealed. "I personally trained her, but on a mission, we…"

He didn't need to finish, as he looked down at the floor. That's when Yelena picked up where he left off.

"We had sex." Belova said bluntly. "Funny, no? We were both brainwashed, yet had enough control to spend one night together."

Sam coughed from how straightforward Belova was, while Bucky shot her a curious look. Just as Millie was about to speak, a loud knocking was heard, followed by a familiar voice.

"Millie? It's Paloma! James is with me!"

Yelena quickly walked back to the front door, opening it to find the secret agents waiting.

"May we come in?" Paloma asked innocently.

"How did you find us?" Yelena asked.

"Miss Kessler." James cast his gaze over to Millie. "When you and Paloma shook hands, she transferred tracking nanites via skin contact. We figured you'd be able to help us with our mission."

"You're not wrong." Millie shrugged, as Bond and Paloma entered the apartment. "We were able to get a name- Wilfred Nagel. He's been working with the Power Broker to replicate Compound V here."

"Then this is more serious than we thought." James muttered, walking over to the minibar and fixing himself a drink. "We'll have to find this Nagel as soon as possible."

"I agree." Kessler nodded. "But with all due respect, are you sure that you and your partner will be able to handle it? Have you ever gone up against supes?"

Bond frowned, before straightening his suit.

"I appreciate your concern, Miss Kessler, but I have been on many black ops missions before you were even born."

"Fair enough." Millie sighed, absently looking up at the balcony to see Bucky and Yelena speaking.

"So what will you do, once this is all done?" Belova asked, resting her arms on the railing.

"Well… I don't know." Barnes confessed. "I come back after vanishing for ten years, only to discover that my best friend- my brother- has been dead all that time. And now, the world is upside down. Sam and I are assigned to this mission with this new squad- people I never knew existed."

"They seem like good kids." Yelena reasoned, as she looked down at Millie. "And… the same thing happened to me when I came back. It took me a while to accept that my sister was gone, and I couldn't change it."

Bucky numbly nodded, turning to look toward Belova.

"But… that night, years ago-"

"I don't regret it." Yelena interrupted, shooting him a small smile. Barnes' lips formed into a grin as well, as he cupped her face in his hands.

"Me neither."

The former assassins smiled at each other, before leaning in for a kiss, shuffling away from the railing and into a bedroom, pausing only to shut the door behind them.

Back on the main floor, Millie sat next to Alice, while Bond and Paloma conversed next to the minibar, William and Harley monitored a tablet, and Sam stood off in a corner, speaking to somebody on the phone.

"What do you think?" Pierce asked, nodding towards the CIA agents. "About Mallory calling them for a mission Fury gave us?"

Kessler shrugged, pulling out her phone.

"I kinda get it. The same way we were partnered with Wilson and Barnes." Millie told her, while dialling a number. "Besides, now that this is bigger than we thought, we're going to need all the help we can get."

"Is that why you're making a call?"

Millie smirked, while placing the phone to her ear.

"Exactly.

---

New York

Once the police had left and Frank and Cass finished patching up the hole in the wall as best as they could, the couple were ready to go to bed, when Castle's phone rang.

Who the fuck is calling-

Frank froze, seeing the caller ID on his phone flashing brightly.

Millie Kessler.

Shit, shit, shit-

The Punisher quickly answered the call, holding the phone up to his ear. Usually, he'd wait for the other person to talk, but luckily, he didn't have to wait long.

"Frank, it's me, Millie! I need your help!"

"What's wrong, Mill?" Castle asked, while Cass stared at him with wide eyes.

"My team and I are currently in Madripoor, tracking down a shipment of Compound V." Millie explained. "It was replicated by a Doctor Wilfred Nagel shortly after Chaos Day, and he's being funded by a powerful criminal called the Power Broker."

"And you want me to figure out who that is, yeah?" Frank guessed.

"Yes. That's right." Kessler confirmed. "Aren't you still in touch with Liebermann?"

Castle swallowed hard, before nodding.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"Great! Can you have him…"

"Sure, Mill." Frank told her. "Yeah, I'll have him find something."

"Thanks, Frank!" Millie said excitedly, before ending the call. Frank looked tiredly at his phone, seeing the line disconnect. A million thoughts ran through his head, the first of which being that Compound V was still out there. It didn't help that Millie and her squad were in Madripoor, which was not only a safe haven for criminals, but also one of the countries that sided with Bagalia.

Ah, shit.

---

Romania

Eight Hours Later

Riley's eyes lazily fluttered open, looking up at a dark ceiling. Letting out a groan, she sat up and looked around on either side, seeing that woman with the blonde hair and hooded jumpsuit laying on a bed to her right. Bela, her name was, if Riley remembered correctly. Even through her haze, she remembered what she did: the blonde could turn into a swarm of flies and attacked that seemingly invulnerable woman. What kind of supe was she?

Just past the mysterious woman was that muscular bearded man in the black trench coat, whom Bela called Chris. This man had let the blonde woman drink his blood. Did it have healing properties? Was he a supe too?

As Riley's head began to swim with questions, the blonde's eyes opened, revealing golden irises. Bela slowly turned her head towards her, as a small smile formed.

"Are you okay?" the blonde asked. Stone let out a smile herself, and promptly nodded.

"Yes. Thanks to you."

Bela chuckled to herself, slowly sitting up and extending her hand.

"I don't believe I've properly introduced myself. Bela Dimitrescu."

Riley stared at the hand, before gingerly reaching out and taking it in her own.

"Riley Stone."

The two shook, while Bela's face took on a more questioning look.

"Tell me, Riley, what were you doing all the way out here?"

Riley stopped for a moment, casting her eyes down at the… stone floor. Where exactly were they again?

"My… my friend and I were sent here to investigate this strange woman."

"Not me, I hope." Bela lightly joked. Riley chuckled as well, and shook her head.

"No. It was the one you fought off before rescuing me. But you…"

Stone looked back over to the blonde, her gaze hardening in curiosity.

"What are you?"

Bela frowned for a moment, as she held up her hand. In an instant, the flesh transformed into a small colony of flies, though retained their shape.

"I assume you are referring to this?"

Riley slowly nodded, mesmerized by the sight.

"Are you… are you a supe?"

The blonde scoffed at that, quickly willing her flies to revert to a human hand, and set her limb down.

"Nothing of the sort." Bela muttered. "There isn't a drop of Compound V in me. Or at least, up until today…"

Riley remained silent, although she thought back to that fight Bela had with the woman earlier. When Stone distracted her, Bela had pulled out a syringe- a syringe with a dark blue liquid, darker than the usual Compound V…

The young woman shook the thought out of her head, while Bela turned to look at the man in the trench coat.

"No." she murmured, reaching over to his bed and caressing his face. The touch seemed to wake him up, as his eyes snapped open, finding Bela looking down at him.

"Bela…" Chris nearly whispered, staring up at her. "Are you…"

"I'm okay." the blonde quickly said. "But I should be asking the same about you. I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have taken so much-"

"It's alright." the bearded man said just as quickly. "You were worth it."

Bela sadly smiled, as Chris looked over to see Riley staring at them.

"It's good to see you well, Miss."

"Thank you." Stone grinned, as the man sat up. "But… Bela drank your blood-"

"I'm fine." Chris told her. "The Compound V in my blood helps her heal."

So he was a supe after all. At least Riley got one thing right.

Bela's face wore a small smirk, as she leaned over her bed, trying to reach Chris to plant a kiss on his cheek. However, once she was halfway, they both heard a familiar buzzing sound.

Riley looked up in confusion, as a swarm of flies, similar to Bela's, entered the little room, breaking off into two clouds. One of them circled around Stone's bed, as she began to make out the shape of arms, legs, a face, and… was that red hair, tucked under a black hood?

"Boo!" the woman in the swarm said playfully, flying right towards Riley. If this had been a few years ago, when she was the naive college girl, Riley would have been screaming. Now though, she raised an eyebrow in curiosity, mostly from already seeing Bela do something similar. But that didn't mean she wasn't nervous.

Meanwhile, the second swarm zoomed around Chris, as the shape of a brunette took form.

"Mmmm… man-bloooood!" the fly woman grinned, slowing her swarm to touch the floor with her somewhat solid feet. Out of the corner of her eye, Riley noticed Bela roll her eyes in annoyance, while folding her arms.

"Come on, Sisters. Leave them alone."

The woman circling Riley continued to fly around her, while speaking to the blonde.

"But Sister, you've given me a new playmate!"

"Yeah, Sister!" the brunette grinned wider, baring her teeth and inching towards Chris. "Besides, you should learn to share your boyfriend's magical healing blood-"

Bela had enough, as she suddenly let loose a yell that echoed across the entire room, making Riley flinch.

"CASSANDRA! DANIELA! KNOCK IT THE FUCK OFF! NOW!"

The red head turned her attention away from Riley, forming into her human shape and looking at Bela with wide eyes. Interestingly enough, Riley's seen that expression before to know it as the puppy dog face.

"But Belaaa!" the fly girl whined. "I just wanted to play with her!"

"And I just wanted to drink some of Redfield's blood!" Cassandra added, stepping away from Chris. The entire time, the man gave a neutral expression, as he and Bela had already had these… talks before. Truth be told, it was getting annoying.

"You're so mean, Bellie!" Daniela pouted, folding her arms. "You're all serious now! You're not fun anymore!"

Bela huffed at her sisters, glaring at each of them.

"You spend ten years without half your family, then we'll see how much fun you are." she muttered venomously. Daniela's eyes suddenly widened, as Cassandra slightly opened her mouth.

"Bela, Sister… come on…" the brunette started to say, but Bela wasn't going to take it.

"Ten years! Ten years without you or Dani!" the blonde shouted, making her sisters flinch. "I spent three years in the castle with Mother, believing you were wiped out by a plague! Then I spent the next seven with Chris, killing supes and other bioweapons!"

Bela suddenly hung her head, her hair nearly touching her legs. Her shoulders began shaking, causing Chris to reach over and place a hand on her arm in a comforting manner. Cassandra licked her dry lips, trying to form words, while Daniela spoke.

"I'm sorry, Sister. We didn't know."

The blonde Dimitrescu let out a soft sniffle, as she reached up and gently grabbed Chris' hand, before looking up with sparkling eyes.

"No. I'm sorry." Bela whispered. "That wasn't fair of me. You and Cassi were the ones who died, not me. It's just… fighting that woman in the village, injecting myself with the modified Compound V, and finding out my swarm was still useless against her-"

"Whoa, whoa. Back up." Cassandra suddenly held up her hand. "What do you mean, your swarm was useless?"

Bela took a deep breath, as she glanced over to Chris.

"For the last several years, I've used our other form as a last resort against supes." the blonde revealed. "But this… this woman, her insides were impenetrable. Just like…"

Her voice trailed off, prompting the answer to click in Chris' mind.

"Just like Homelander." he realized, causing Riley's eyes to widen.

"You fought Homelander?" Stone asked. Redfield's face morphed into a scowl, as he looked to the ground.

"We didn't fight him. We barely survived him." Chris muttered.

---

New York- Seven Years Ago

Bela and Chris stood on one of New York's rooftops, looking across the city skyline, to the left of them was Vought Tower, which blocked a good portion of sunlight. Not that it mattered, as Redfield was busy speaking to the rest of his squad over the phone.

"Thanks Umber Eyes." Chris murmured, before ending the call. The soldier turned towards Bela, continuing to speak.

"The squad was able to track down Malchemical, former member of the now disbanded Super-Duper team. He's currently in Hell's Kitchen."

"Malchemical?" Bela scoffed. "What's his power, nuclear crop-dusting people?"

Chris chuckled at the immature joke but shook his head.

"According to the file, he can shapeshift into anyone and any kind of matter at will." Redfield told her. "Luckily, we packed the tracker."

Bela smirked, knowing exactly what Chris was talking about, while grabbing his shoulders. After she had helped Redfield and his Hound Wolf Squad take down a powerful shapeshifting bioweapon named Mother Miranda months ago, the team decided to modify their tracking devices to detect any abnormal DNA in a shapeshifter- including supes and bioweapons.

"Need a lift?" Dimitrescu asked playfully, before dispersing into flies and carrying the two of them away from the roof. The swarm and Redfield flew through the air, being careful to use cover whenever it could, as it made its way to a quaint establishment called Josie's Bar.

"Thanks." Chris murmured, as the swarm set him down on the ground, before reforming into its human shape. Bela gave Redfield a sly wink, before marching to the bar and throwing the doors open, startling the few patrons in there. The bartender, a bald dark-skinned man, looked at the woman curiously, who was followed by Chris shortly after.

"Can I get you something?" the bartender asked.

"Not today." Redfield said politely, as he pulled out the tracking device, appearing as a rectangular box with two antennae. He and Bela followed the signal, which got stronger and stronger, until reaching a short man with black hair, wearing a dark green hoodie to cover up.

"Hello Malchemical." Chris announced, standing right next to Bela. The man looked up with a startled expression, as a confused frown lined his face.

"I don't know who you think I am, but-"

Bela suddenly grabbed the patron by the collar, lifting him up easily with her unnatural strength.

"Cut the shit." Dimitrescu hissed. "We know you're a supe, and you're probably not showing us your real face. We can do this in here or out there. Your choice."

Chris gave Bela a sideways glance, as the bartender began walking towards them.

"Is there a problem?"

"No." Redfield quickly shook his head. "We're just having a chat… right Bela?"

The bug woman narrowed her eyes in disdain, before setting the blonde man back into the booth, while the bartender folded his arms.

"Look, I know who you are, Redfield, but you can't just barge in here." the bald man protested. "I don't know what your beef is, but you gotta take it outside or leave."

"Done." Bela grinned, turning back towards the man in the green hoodie and shooting him a glare. Realizing that the bartender was trying to remain neutral, the man suddenly leapt up, forming his arm into a spiked tentacle, and swiping towards the trio in front of him.

"Sweet Christmas." the bartender murmured, holding up his arms and deflecting the tentacle without suffering any visible damage. Meanwhile, Chris ducked under the appendage, and Bela transformed into her fly swarm, zooming straight toward Malchemical and pushing him out the backdoor.

"Stay here." Chris ordered the bartender, as he pulled out a pistol and charged out of the bar. The moment he arrived outside, the leader of Hound Wolf Squad froze, seeing Malchemical produce multiple spiked tentacles from his body, while his skin changed shades to look striped, showing off the colors of red, purple, and an unnatural white that wasn't unlike Bela's own pigment.

"Ahahahahaha! You can't hope to kill me!" the supe chortled, while Bela partially shifted to her swarm and flew around, doing her best to cut off as many tentacles as she could. However, with every spiked appendage she severed, three more took its place. Finally, giving up, the blonde fully dispersed into her tiny insects, attacking Malchemical's form and trying to burrow into his skin.

"Try to get inside me, eh?" the crazed supe sneered, as his shape began to change. "Try this on for size!"

Malchemical's body began to steam and hiss, until he transformed into a gaseous form, complete with his colors still present. As the gas engulfed the swarm of flies, several began to die off, forcing Bela to reform into her human shape.

"I'm a gas!" the supe cackled, while Dimitrescu retched loudly, sinking to her knees and clutching her throat. "I'm a fucking gas, bitch!"

That's when Chris finally sprang into action, pulling out his lighter. Usually, he'd light up a cigarette, but today, he had something else in mind.

"Wanna play games?" Redfield muttered, flicking the lighter on and watching the flame dance.

"Let's play."

Chris chucked the lighter right at Malchemical's gas form, causing a flame to instantly ignite. The maniacal supe let loose a blood curdling scream, as his entire body burned, rapidly killing him.

"Bela!" Chris shouted, running over to his lover and helping her up. "Are you alright?"

The bug woman tiredly nodded, but as they watched Malchemical's body be consumed by the fire, her eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh shit."

Before Redfield could ask her what was wrong, a man in a blue suit with the American flag for a cape suddenly touched down a few feet in front of them, cracking the pavement from the force of his landing. Homelander.

"Stay behind me." Chris put himself in front of Bela protectively, as the leader of the Seven stared them down, seemingly ignoring Malchemical dying right behind him.

"Ah, Chris Redfield." Homelander flashed a smug grin. "I remember you and the BSAA pushed for the Sokovia Accords to also apply for supes."

The soldier said nothing, instead charging at the supe and swung his fist. Homelander didn't even flinch, as Chris' hand went right across his face, emitting a loud cracking noise.

It was almost funny, how Chris had punched a boulder before without so much as a scratch, yet with this supe, it felt like the bones in his hand had shattered.

Redfield groaned in pain, while Homelander backhanded him away, sending the captain sprawling onto the ground and past Bela.

"Chris!" Dimitrescu shouted, kneeling down to her lover's form to see that- thankfully- he was still breathing.

"So… you're the one who killed Behemoth." Homelander chuckled, stepping forward. "Gotta say, that was some trick."

Bela narrowed her eyes, preparing to throw a right hook, when she remembered that Chris just broke his hand trying the same thing. As she racked her brain, trying to think of some way to fight off the powerful supe, she looked into his eyes, noticing they were slightly dilated. That's when the bug woman came to a startling realization.

Homelander, though trying to hide it, was slightly afraid of her. Most likely from watching her kill Behemoth, as he mentioned, but if he was afraid… then there was a chance she could take him.

Bela's lips formed into a cold smile, as she prepared for what was about to happen.

"How about I show you that trick?"

The supe took a step back, but it was too late, as Bela completely dispersed into her swarm of flies, quickly surrounding Homelander and attacking his skin. The leader of the Seven opened his mouth in shock, and seizing the opportunity, a good portion of the flies plunged down his throat, aiming to damage his insides, while at least a dozen flew up his nose and into his ears. Homelander began to wretch loudly, beginning to fly up high into the sky in a vain attempt to get the flies out of him, only to realize… the bugs weren't really hurting him. Or at least, they weren't able to bite into his skin.

Inside the supe's body, Bela began to realize the same thing, as her flies tried to bite his internal organs. It only took a few seconds for her to figure out that, unlike Behemoth, his insides were as impenetrable as his outside. And that terrified the blonde Dimitrescu, despite her own power.

Once it was known that staying inside Homelander's body wasn't doing anything, Bela's flies quickly began to expel out of his mouth and other orifices as quick as possible. Unfortunately, some were still in there, as the moment most of Bela's swarm exited his body, she realized Homelander was flying straight towards a body of water. Most likely the Hudson River.

The supe crashed into the watery surface, instantly waterlogging dozens of Bela's flies. Even though it wasn't enough to permanently damage her, the amount of her insects that died off was still significant, which forced the swarm to quickly fly away, before Homelander recovered and went looking for her. As such, Dimitrescu willed her flies to travel back to the alley behind Josie's Bar, just in time to see Chris get dragged away by several armed guards, all wearing the Vought logo on their sleeves.

Bela reformed back into her human shape, watching her lover get taken away. She was about to run after them, when a hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder. The blonde spun around, pulling out her sickle, when she found out the person behind her was a man wearing a black trench coat with a thick black beard.

Music: "Butcher" from The Boys Season 1 OST

"Oh, it's you." Bela grumbled, lowering her sickle. "What do you want, Butcher?"

"Easy Princess, I just want to help." Billy Butcher told her, placing his hands up. "Saw what happened to Malchemical. Fucking diabolical, what Redfield did."

"Get to the point." Bela muttered, beginning to grip her sickle tighter. Every second spent talking…

Billy took the hint, as he cleared his throat.

"I was able to nab one of those Vought cunts and bring him to an old friend's." Butcher smirked. "He'll know where Redfield was taken."

Bela looked at Billy in annoyance, deciding to give him a piece of her mind.

"I could have gone after him now, and you just wasted my time-"

"You really think you'd just walk up, kill those cunts, and get him back?" Butcher inquired, raising an eyebrow. "You really think they wouldn't have something that would hurt you?"

The bug woman took a step back, confused at what he said.

"What do you mean?"

Billy chuckled, gesturing towards the burn marks in the alley. The only evidence of Malchemical's demise.

"This was a show, staged by Vought and Homelander." he explained. "They forced Malchemical to wait for you there, so that their golden boy of the Seven could kill you both. And in case that wasn't enough, they sent a strike team right behind him."

Bela's face paled even worse than usual, realizing that she and Chris played right into their hands. Shit, they must've been planning this ever since she killed Behemoth in that bank in Queens.

"Now they're expecting you to come for Redfield, but I got an idea." Billy smirked, turning on his heel and beginning to walk away.

"Follow me."

Butcher led Bela through the alley and towards a brownstone apartment, where the man roughly shoved the steel door open, not bothering to see if Dimitrescu was right behind him.

"What is this?" the blonde asked, looking around to see nothing out of the ordinary. An old leather couch, partially ripped up. Some chairs and a coffee table, with an ashtray in the middle. A mantlepiece with no pictures. But what made Bela ask that question was the fact that place was littered with firearms, as well as had music blasting throughout-

"Ah, Butcher!"

Bela blinked a few times, now noticing that a man with blonde hair was approaching them, wiping blood off his hands with a rag.

"Is that her?" the man asked, pointing to Dimitrescu.

"Yeah Dax. That's her." Billy nodded, as he led the bug woman towards a door that led to the basement.

"What do you mean?" Bela asked in confusion. "What did you tell him?"

"Just that you can turn into bugs. And you're killing supes." Dax shrugged, following them downstairs and flipping on a light. The act caused Dimitrescu to be blinded for a moment, but when her eyes readjusted, she saw a man in a Vought guard uniform was tied to a chair, blood coming from his mouth.

"Sorry. Had to take out his tongue." Dax apologized, tossing away the bloody rag. "But he did tell me they were taking her friend to 42D- Vought Tower's sub-basement, which has supe proof cells."

"Not like that cunt will need it anyway- or her." Butcher muttered, glancing in Bela's direction. The bug woman looked at Billy curiously, trying to process what he meant.

"What… what are you talking about?"

"Come on, Bel." the Brit told her. "I saw you kill Behemoth by filling him with flies. Now if you can do that…"

Butcher nudged his head in the guard's direction.

"I'm thinking you can get creative to save Redfield."

Bela pursed her lips in confusion, as she stared at the tied up guard. Creative… If Chris was being held in the basement of Vought Tower, she could always go there herself, slaughter anyone in her way, and get him out-

No. That would surely attract the attention of Homelander, something she didn't want. Sure, she might be able to put up a good fight, but unless she ran away, the supe would surely kill her, whether destroying all her flies one by one, or through a good old fashioned beating. But if she was disguised…

A cold smile crept across Dimitrescu's lips, as she slowly walked over to the guard. Butcher and Dax watched curiously, as the bug woman sat down on the Vought agent's lap, while snaking her hands around to either side of his head. Bela ran her tongue over her lips in a seductive manner, before leaning in and roughly kissing the guard. The armored man screamed and thrashed around in a vain attempt to escape, but Dimitrescu held him in place with her unnatural strength, as pieces of her body began to disperse into flies. Most of her insects traveled from her mouth into his, making their way down his throat and towards his chest and stomach, similar to what she tried with Homelander earlier, and began to feast on his internal organs. Others broke away from the rest of her body, flying up through the guard's nostrils and ear canals, where they began working on eating through the hard bone of the skull. There were even some flies that dined on the agent's eyes, which in turn gave them quick access to go through the eyesocket and begin ravaging the brain.

The entire time Bela devoured this man from the inside out, Butcher and Dax stood off to the side, with the latter staring on in horror.

"Jesus." the blonde gasped. "I know you said she killed Behemoth, but this…"

"Eh, I've fought worse." Butcher mumbled, folding his arms. Dax looked at his friend in confusion, before speaking again.

"What the fuck is worse than this?"

Billy's expression darkened, as he stared at the floor.

"You don't want to know."

By the time Bela's swarm was completely inside the Vought guard's body, the chair was already tipped over, with the man's form writhing on the floor. Given that his arms were tied behind him, all he could do was make his legs jerk around as if he was having a seizure, while his chest expanded. For a moment, Billy thought she was going to burst him open like with Behemoth, until the chest slowly contracted, and the sudden movements became still. Several minutes later, the guard turned his head toward Butcher, glaring at him without eyes. If Billy squinted hard enough, he could see several tiny black flies poking in and out of the bloody sockets and nostrils.

It only took a second for Butcher to realize that Bela had used her flies to eat through all of the guards' insides and was now using the body like a skinsuit. Taking a small gulp, the Brit buried the slight nervousness within him, and curled his lips into a satisfied smirk.

"Fucking diabolical." Billy chortled, walking over and taking a knife from his coat, slicing through the rope that bound the guard's- Bela's now- hands together. Once freed, Bela quickly stood up, opening and closing her new hands.

"Right. Now you can't just waltz in the door, dressed like that, and leave with Redfield." Butcher told Bela, handing the disguised bioweapon a pair of goggles. Billy looked over to Dax, who was clearly unnerved, his entire body shaking. The blonde gulped in nervousness, before stepping forward.

"I know a way to get to him."

---

Dax and Bela walked through back alleys and empty streets, coming to a stop at the back of Vought Tower. The man was the first to approach, opening up a grate in the wall to reveal a secret passage. Bela thought about asking, but decided against it, figuring that he got the information from the tortured guard before his demise. Not that she could ask anyway, being a swarm of flies and all.

The disguised guard and Dax made their way through the passage, down a set of stairs and through a hallway, where they came to an elevator with a display screen depicting a handprint.

"Don't worry, his prints are in the system." the man said reassuringly, as Bela took off one of the guard's gloves and pressed her hand to the scanner. Sure enough, a green light illuminated the screen, and the elevator dinged open.

"Good luck." Dax nodded, as Dimitrescu stepped inside the metal box. "Can't let them see my face."

Bela assumed that he was really just trying to get away from her, since she was more or less possessing a body, just as the elevator doors shut. A few minutes later, the doors opened, and Bela walked at a brisk pace down a hallway filled with cell doors, peering into each and every one of them.

Upon turning a corner, the disguised Dimitrescu did find Chris, sitting in a cell illuminated by a bright green light. Her golden eyes lighting up with excitement, Bela gripped the handle of the cell door with both hands, pouring her strength into ripping the solid steel apart. After a few minutes of tugging, the door eventually did give way, as she heard a loud creak, while the door itself was pulled back. Redfield looked up, at first in confusion, but his eyes quickly widened in surprise, as he saw a few dozen flies erupt from the Vought guard's mouth, nose, and ears. With a chill, he realized that the guard was Bela, having consumed the man's innards and was wearing his skin.

"I'm flattered you dressed up for me." Chris murmured, the fear ebbing away once his mind processed that it was his girlfriend in front of him. Bela said nothing, instead walking over and helping Chris to his feet. Without another word, Dimitrescu led him out of the cell and back the way she came, thankfully without any interference.

---

Once Bela and Chris made it out of Vought Tower and into an alley, they found Butcher waiting for them.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Butcher-"

Chris was suddenly interrupted by Bela, who placed a hand on his shoulder. Dimitrescu grinned, before suddenly opening her mouth, and her swarm of flies poured out of the Vought guard's body through the orifices, leaving behind an empty husk of flesh and clothes. Before Billy and Chris' very eyes, the insects reformed into their human shape, with Bela quickly providing an explanation.

"It's okay. He helped me get you out."

"You did most of it, love." Billy smirked. "But you're right, Dax and I did provide you with a change of skivvies. Not every day I'd save a supe."

Chris clenched his fists in annoyance, but Bela placed her hand on his cheek, turning his head towards her.

"How about a kiss for your knight in shining armor?"

Redfield's face broke into a smile, as he suddenly slammed his lips against hers, with their tongues wrestling against each other.

"I'm glad you're alright." Dimitrescu murmured, in between their lip lock. "And… you were right. I couldn't hurt Homelander like that."

"Yeah…" Redfield looked over to Butcher when their moment of passion ended, holding out his hand.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention, Redfield." Billy begrudgingly reached out and shook, before his gaze turned serious. "You both best fuck off for a while. That cunt will be looking for you."

"But then who will fight Homelander? You?" Bela asked. "Do you have some miracle weapon that can kill him?"

"Not yet I-"

Butcher stopped, looking off to the side.

"No. No, I don't fucking have one."

Bela and Chris noticed Billy's sudden change but decided not to question it for now. Right now, they needed to lay low.

"Be seeing you, Billy." Dimitrescu nodded in the Brit's direction, before dispersing into flies and carrying Chris away.

"Yeah." Butcher murmured, dropping his British accent and watching the swarm fly through the sky.

"See you on the streets."

---

Romania- Now

Riley finished listening to Bela and Chris' story, mortified at what happened to the guard, before knitting her brow in confusion.

"Wait… what happened to your clothes?"

Bela smirked, as she partially shifted her flies, before reappearing while standing up from the hospital bed.

"Since I joined Chris' team, I was given a special suit that can be broken down into tiny pieces. Perfect for being carried by my swarm."

Stone slowly nodded, remembering when Bela fought Achlys and dispersed into flies.

"So… if this… this Witch Woman's insides are impenetrable like the rest of her, how do we stop her?"

"Well, that depends." Chris folded his arms, while ignoring Cassandra's leering.

"Does Dredd still have those miracle bullets that killed Homelander?"

"No." Riley sadly shook her head. "No, my friend Millie told me they were all destroyed during Necropolis."

Chris and Bela's eyes widened slightly, which in turn piqued both Riley and Daniella's interest.

"Necropolis?" the innocent redhead asked. "What's that?"

Bela took a nervous gulp, while Chris stared at the ground.

"According to a friend, it was supposed to be the end of all life." he murmured.

"Oh, you must mean Mister Winters!" Daniella said cheerfully. "He said this little girl named Eveline was supposed to start it!"

Chris numbly nodded, before turning towards Riley.

"How do you know of it?"

"My friend, Millie." Riley explained. "She was part of it, and… she claims that she caused it."

Stone, Redfield, and the Dimitrescu sisters remained quiet for a few minutes, before Bela suddenly perked up.

"The gas."

Chris frowned, turning towards his lover.

"What?"

"The knockout gas you used." she repeated. "It affected Achlys."

"And if that can hurt her…" Riley'a lips peeled into a grin.

"I know how to stop her."

"You do?" Bela raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. There's this thing called Fear Toxin." Riley quickly revealed. "It was created by a bio terrorist named Jonathan Crane-"

"Who is also called the Scarecrow and operates in Gotham City." Chris interrupted. "That's common knowledge."

Riley smiled wider, before continuing.

"Yes, but he was also employed by HYDRA to create a new toxin, using Freddy Kruger's blood! This way, any wounds inflicted by the hallucination would affect them in the real world!"

"And do you have some of that toxin now?" Redfield asked. "The BSAA isn't exactly welcome in Gotham."

Riley's smile morphed into a frown, as she mulled over her thoughts.

"No… but I know someone who might."

"Ooh, goodie!" Daniella clapped her hands, before grabbing Riley's shoulders.

"But first, I want to give my new friend a tour of the castle!"

Before anyone could protest, Daniella dispersed into a swarm of flies, carrying Riley out of the dungeon, much to Cassandra's amusement, as well as Bela and Chris' chagrin.

---

New York

Ryan woke up in his bed, quickly jumped out, and put his costume back on. Upon glancing at the clock and realizing it read 9:01, he realized he was late for his training session with Brightburn. Well, he didn't exactly give him a time, just that it was the first thing in the morning. But he did have superhearing…

Right on cue, Butcher heard the other supe's voice. It was faint, and sounded far away, but he could definitely hear it.

"Ryan? Are you up yet?"

The Traveller smirked, quickly walking downstairs to see Becca sitting at the table, a mug of coffee in her hand.

"Mom?" Ryan frowned, looking around. "Where's Uncle Joe?"

Becca rubbed her tired eyes, turning to look at her son.

"He told me he's getting these memory flashes after we brought everyone back." she explained. "He's trying to get answers."

"Oh." the supe murmured, before remembering why he got up in the first place.

"Well, I'll see you soon!"

Not giving Becca a chance to ask where he was going, Ryan sped out of the house and took to the sky, flying towards the source of Brightburn's voice. Mere minutes later, he found the other superhero, perched on top of a mountain far outside the city.

"Ready?" Brandon asked, picking up a nearby boulder. Ryan eagerly nodded, and Brightburn threw the huge stone right at him. Butcher's instincts took over, as his eyes shot out crimson beams that cut the boulder in two, causing the halves to fall to the ground.

"Impressive." Breyer commented, picking up another boulder. "Now try using you frost breath."

"Is that what it's called?" Ryan frowned, just as the boulder was thrown his way. Butcher took a deep inhale, before blowing outward, seeing the stone rapidly get covered in frost, before being completely engulfed in ice. The boulder promptly fell to the ground, where it shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, much to Ryan's satisfaction.

"Not bad. You're a quick learner, having done that on the first try." Brandon complimented.

"Thanks." Ryan smiled, walking towards his friend. "Maybe you're just a great teacher."

"Maybe… but physical strength isn't everything." Breyer trailed off. "You have to have the will, the drive, to do what's necessary."

Ryan frowned for a moment, taking a step back.

"But… but… that's not superheroes do."

"Maybe they should." Brandon shrugged. "Remember the Punisher? Or Judge Dredd? They know that some of these people need to be put down."

"But-"

"Look at it this way." Breyer argued. "All those murderers, rapists, pedophiles that your uncles have put down. Will they ever hurt anyone ever again?"

Ryan sighed, looking down at the ground, and shook his head.

"No."

"Exactly." Brandon let out a small smile. "There's just some pieces of shit that need to go."

Just as Brightburn finished speaking, both supes heard a distant alarm, most likely back in New York.

Music: Mysterio's Villain Theme from Spider-Man: Far From Home OST

"Ready to show these guys what you have learned?" Brandon grinned, before flying away. Ryan quickly took off after him, soaring through the air and arriving back Queens, seeing a man in a red and blue metallic suit fighting three individuals in the middle of the street. The man was easily recognizable to Butcher, knowing him as the superhero and former Avenger known as Spider-Man, but the ones he was fighting…

One of the criminals was a bald dark-skinned man, who wore a bright yellow jacket and was attacking with these electrified gauntlets. The other wore some kind of flight suit, with purple wings, a jetpack, and a mask that covered his face. The third villain wore a similar suit, but instead of wings, he sported a thick green tail, that could apparently be controlled.

"Hey, Spidey!" Ryan called out, floating down next to the webslinger. "Need a hand?"

Spider-Man looked over to the Traveller, who used his x-ray vision to see that he was smiling behind his mask.

"Boy, am I glad to see you!" Spidey chuckled, while ducking under an electrified burst from the man in the yellow jacket. "I guess Shocker, Scorpion, and Beetle decided to band together as some Terrible Trio!"

"That's their names?" Brightburn scoffed, floating down right next to Butcher.

"Who's this?" Spider-Man asked, looking at the new hero.

"He's a friend." Ryan offered, while looking at the trio of villains. Spidey shrugged, while staring the criminals down.

"Okay, I'll take on Gargan. Traveller, go for Beetle, and new guy, could you-"

"Nope." Brandon interrupted, looking over to Ryan. "Why don't you show these guys what you've learned."

Butcher grinned, taking a step forward, and blew outward. Within a minute, all three villains were encased in ice, much to Spider-Man's surprise.

"Holy shit!" Spidey exclaimed, putting his hands on his head. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"Neither could I, until today." Ryan murmured, nodding towards Brightburn.

"Thanks-"

The ice suddenly shattered, with Scorpion breaking out.

"That won't stop me!" the criminal boasted, leaping towards Spider-Man. Before he could reach the wall-crawler, Breyer casually reached out, grabbing Scorpion by the neck.

"Wait, don't-"

Brightburn swiftly twisted his wrist, snapping Scorpion's neck with ease.

"What did you do?!" Spider-Man shouted. "We're not supposed to execute the villains!"

"And what would you have done?" Brandon argued. "Just lock him up, so that he can just break out and do this again?"

"It's not our place to take their lives!" Spider-Man shouted. "We're not murderers!"

"Oh for fuck's sake." Breyer murdered, preparing to fly away. "I don't have time for this bullshit."

Brightburn proceeded to fly away, leaving Ryan to give Spidey an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Peter." the Traveller murmured, before taking off to catch up to Brightburn. As he soared up through the sky, Butcher felt himself torn. On the one hand, Spider-Man was right; they couldn't just kill all criminals. But on the other, he had to agree with Brightburn, that some of them just had to die. Hell, Ryan never had a problem when Dredd, Frank, or even his own mother took lives. So maybe… maybe…

Killing criminals wasn't all that bad.

---

A/N: Dun dun dun! Ryan's slowly being turned to the darkside by Brightburn, and it'll take a few certain people to snap him out of it!

That suit of armor that Dredd sees before heading to Romania is a reference to the War Machine armor that Punisher wore in the comics. Frank will eventually get his hands on it later.

Also, I took a guess on what Batman and Martian Manhunter would be like in Brightburn's universe, since their images are extremely vague in the film's post credit scene (Hell, Batman never even got one). For MM, I just copied the mainstream version, but for Batman, I based him partially on Man-Bat from the comics, as well as the Scorchbeast from Fallout 76.

James Bond's and Paloma's appearances were more or less last minute editions. I enjoyed No Time To Die, despite its flaws, but I really wanted Paloma to have a larger role, and I also didn't want Bond to die. So, they'll be accompanying Millie, Bucky, Sam, and their friends in Madripoor. And Yelena is thrown in too because she was one of my favorite parts of the Black Widow movie.

Frank taking a backseat wasn't by design, but this chapter was already pretty long, so I'm saving a really big meaty scene for later with him. Same with Dredd right now, it's the other characters' storylines that are carrying the fic. And there's still some that I haven't touched on yet, particularly Constantine and Matt Murdock.

Oh, and Riley Stone will be spending a lot of time in Castle Dimitrescu. And it'll soon be revealed just how much power the Power Broker truly has. Don't worry though, it's not Sharon Carter. It's someone else.

Anyway, that's it for now. Cheers!