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New York. The Big Apple. The Empire State of the East Coast. And home to the Seven. Earth's Most Mighty Heroes. And also it's most corrupt. Behind the capes and cowls of this world's 'heroes' is a cesspool of corruption and crime. When the public's not looking, their heroes - supposed shining examples of Truth, Justice and the American Way - spend their free time getting hooked on drugs, sex, and whatever the check flows their way. And when a few of the public do come looking, that's when the Seven's backers, Vought International, come in. The few dissidents and oppositions either keep silent, disappear or get into an accident the next day. Only the truly fearful take the first option.
It was a great shame that this world had plunged into such deep-seated depravity that Fate would decide to step in and stir a wake-up call. As if the Elder Gods decided to take one quick glance and send off an agent of might to test its worth. If only to pass the time.
Scorpion's eyes opened as he blinked into existence. As he observed his surroundings, he realized he was on Earth. Only it was… different. New York City. Except it looked exactly the way it was before the Outworld Invasion began. Noisy, crowded, and a faint stench of the sewers that the city was known for. The people around him seemed to give strange glances. Not the kind that made them afraid of him but… curious? They don't seem at all wary of his appearance. Instead, some had pulled out little devices and took photos. Phones, he recalled.
"Yo!" One young man called as he snapped a photo. "That's some cool-looking swag, my G! Making Wiz Khalifa proud with that style! You got a superhero name?"
Scorpion could only stare blankly at the young man before him, having no clue what he just said and elected to ignore him. It did, however, bring to his curiosity as to what he looked like in public. He did, however, grab the young man's phone and look through the contents. The teenager cried in protest and seemed angry until he made eye contact with the spectre's gaze, backing off immediately as Scorpion searched through.
Though he was never one to keep up with the times and was largely ambivalent of Earthrealm's progression, the spectre did have some basic understanding of modern technologies. His first instinct was to go through 'Photos'; leading him directly to the gallery to find the current photo with his appearance. To his surprise, the spectre donned the armor he wore at the Mortal Kombat tournament he participated in. The black and gold carapace covered his body, top to bottom, while a simple sleeveless yellow gi was wrapped over his chest with the stinger-tipped shoulder guards and skull belt strapped over in place. He stood on gold-steel guarded boots with skull shinguards.
Over his shoulders, he could see that both of his katanas were strapped onto his back, identifiable by the stinger-tipped pommels. His mask was very much like his namesake, further enhancing it with a scorpion-like pattern that covered his head save for the exposed pearly white eyes. Despite finding what he needed, he still had no idea how he got here, let alone in New York before its destruction.
"Uhhh… hey, man…?" The young man sheepishly waved the spectre's attention. "If the photo don't look good, then maybe I could snap a better one?"
Scorpion ignored the suggestion, instead he asked, "What year is this?"
"What?" The young man was taken back by the spectre's deep baritone. Scorpion felt his patience wither quickly. Suddenly, the air was turning hot around him and the people around him were starting to feel the heat.
"I will not ask again." Scorpion growled, "What year is it?"
"2018!" The teenager blurted out, flinching at Scorpion's approach. The spectre stopped in his tracks, calming down and taking in the information. It definitely added up to his suspicions. He was displaced in another timeline once again.
The boy, hesitantly, spoke up and asked, "So…we cool? Cuz I would like my phone back…please?"
With a frustrated sigh, the spectre tossed the phone back to the boy and wandered around Times Square without a word. The young man could only stare blankly as to what had happened.
"What's his deal…?" His friend beside him asked, looking in concern. The teenager simply shrugged in return, with both simply staring at the nameless supe disappearing into the crowd.
The spectre wordlessly went about his business, walking past bystanders who seemed more focused on their day-to-day rituals. He received a few stares, yes, but they were quite infrequent. In his surroundings, there was a consistent sign that seemed to follow him wherever he went. Which seemed to be plastered all over cars, windows and billboards to be exact.
The Seven. He had no idea what the title meant but he could see that there were exactly seven people in queer clothing he could not recognize. He recalled the young man mentioning a 'superhero name'. Was that what he called the spectre? A superhero?
Scorpion was quick to dismiss such a title. He was no hero. His pursuit was molded by revenge. The death of his wife and son was what motivated him to return as a spirit of vengeance. Hence he demanded his family's killer at the tournament, Sub-Zero.
Only… it wasn't him… but the foul sorcerer, Quan Chi, who committed the grievous murder and twisted the once noble Hanzo Hasashi into his personal attack dog. A revelation he realized too late when the brother of the man he murdered came forth with the information.
"Harumi. Satoshi." He quietly muttered his family's names, "I will find peace and return to you both. I promise."
"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
A scream caught the spectre's attention, which was immediately followed by several gunshots inside a building not far from him. He spotted some people running out to avoid the gunfire heard inside before two gunmen in baklavas briefly came out to nab a fleeing mother and her daughter. The sight brought back a terrible memory. One where his family was taken from him on that day. A surge of anger slowly erupted from his heart. His hand trembled uncontrollably with rage. The air around him began to heat up once again, igniting small sparks before they quickly expanded. Not too long after, the spectre was engulfed in a raging tornado of hellfire. Bystanders close by witnessed the event with shock and awe. And no sooner did Scorpion teleport right in front of the two gunmen. Both men were slow to react to the shock before the spectre pulled one of his katanas over his shoulder and sliced off their heads swiftly. The mother was thankfully shorter than the two men as Scorpion pulled her and the girl away from the falling bodies. The woman was quick to cover her daughter's eyes from the horrific sight of the headless bodies.
"Leave! Call for help!" Scorpion finally spoke, to which the mother turned heel and exited the building quickly with her daughter. More guns attracted the spectre's attention and he quickly teleported once more. This time, he was in the lobby room where several armed robbers were taking hostages and forcing them onto the ground. His entrance had already garnered the attention of every gunman within their sights.
"Wha-?!" The robber closest to Scorpion exclaimed in surprise, "They sent one of you supes already?! Where's Jesse and Tim?!"
In the robber's hands, the spectre could see a woman tearfully pleading for her life against the man's grip around her neck.
"They are dead." Scorpion coldly answered arms crossed, "And so will you unless you release these hostages. They did nothing to deserve your weapons pointed at them."
An intense standoff was now set between Scorpion and the men pointing assault rifles at him. He scanned his surroundings and counted nine men in the room. They had yet to organize and had just moved all the hostages in one spot. The lead gunman, the spectre presumed, scoffed and replied, "Oh yeah? And just who the hell do you think you are? Another dime a dozen superhero Vought churns out?"
"I am Scorpion!" The spectre announced. "Last of the Shirai Ryu! And Spirit of Vengeance! And you will set these people free if you value your lives!"
"Nah." The lead gunman scoffed, followed by the sound of guns clicking into action from his cohorts, "Nononono. That's not how it's gonna happen. What's gonna happen is that me and my boys are gonna hit the biggest score of our time and no one's gonna stop us unless someone's gonna have their fucking brains blown off!"
The leader proved his threat by pressing his pistol against the distressed woman's head and causing an uproar from the fearful hostages. Scorpion's hands clenched in anger at the man's unhinged rant. Cowards. All of them.
"So…" The leader smiled gleefully, "You have two options. Either me and my boys get out of here alive and rich…or somebody's going in a body bag."
"Indeed." Scorpion felt his resolve. "And I'll be burying your bodies in unmarked graves."
The leader looked ready to pop and went into another rant.
"Are you fucking with me right now?! There are nine of us against you! You do the math!"
"I have," Scorpion finished, "You should have brought more."
The spectre immediately blinked out and teleported right behind the leader. Quickly, he twisted the man's gunhand and broke it. The man screamed and let go of the woman who ducked for cover as the other robbers started spraying their guns. The hostages laid low to the ground and screamed as the bullets went flying over their heads. Scorpion turned quickly and used the leader as a shield. The man convulsed as he felt all the bullets shred into his body. The spectre heaved and tossed the body into two men before blinking out and reappearing behind another gunman with a flying kick. A loud snap was heard as the fourth fell dead with a broken neck. The spectre blitzed across the lobby with ruthless efficiency, having taken down another three.
Scorpion appeared behind a robber and slashed his tendons with his katana. The man died screaming right before the sword went through his heart. Behind him, a stray bullet managed to shoot his katana off from his hand. Scorpion's head snapped to the shooter, who was desperately unjamming his gun mid-fight. The spectre wasted no time and summoned his kunai spear and chain from under his right forearm and launched it. The spear landed directly into the gunman's shoulder with precision.
"COME HERE!"
The gunman screamed as the kunai pulled him and whipped him into another fellow behind the spectre. Retracting the kunai from the man's body, Scorpion took down the last man standing by teleporting behind him and pulling him to the ground by the shoulders, before stabbing the kunai into his shoulder. The entire lobby was completely silent. None of the hostages stood up out of fear save for Scorpion who went to retrieve his fallen sword. As he picked it up, he soon noticed another youngster holding his phone and recording him.
"Yo." The youngster breathed. "Yo, yo, yo! That was kickass, bro! Shit is going on WorldStar, baby! You're going to be famous!"
Scorpion scoffed and stood up, turning away to find the distressed woman from before lying on the floor in tears. Slowly approaching her, the woman looked up to her savior as Scorpion reached out his hand and calmly asked, "Are you alright?"
Shaken yet relieved to see him, the woman stood and embraced him without hesitation. The spectre was completely thrown off by the gesture but did his best to comfort her as she thanked him profusely.
"Y-You saved my life..!" She spoke gratefully, "You saved all of us-"
BANG
Scorpion didn't notice the blood spray on his mask. He didn't move when her lifeless body dropped to the floor. He didn't hear the screaming around him nor the gunshots that seemed to have dropped a few bodies more behind him. All he remembered was the face of an innocent woman he had saved robbed from him in the blink of an eye. His heart started to beat fast. The breathing grew heavy and the vision grew into a tunnel of light. Without control or restraint, his temper turned into white-hot rage and so did his body as it ignited into flames.
Snapping his neck at the man who killed a few civilians in front of him, the spectre lunged and barrelled into his body. The man screamed in agony and looked on in horror at the sight of his midsection reduced to a bloody spine, full shock kicking in. Scorpion then pulled out his katana and decapitated the man, doing a spin kick to the head in the air before pulling it back to him with his chained kunai. Glaring hatefully at the head in his hand, the spectre crushed it into a bloody pulp tossing it aside. Yet, the rage never ended there. It never ended.
He heard some groaning and turned back to the two bodies that were alive. Reaching for his katana, Scorpion stomped his way to the two and stabbed into their bodies, over and over in frustrated anger. They screamed for naught as the spectre vented his anger on the blood they spilled. Murderers, that's what they were. Soulless murderers rooted in greed. His own thoughts so blinded him that he didn't hear his own cry of rage and blood as he mutilated the bodies even after they stopped limping.
Rapid footsteps took the spectre's notice and he turned to see another of the thieves made a run for the exit. His kunai flashed and embedded itself into the man's chest.
"GET OVER HERE!"
Scorpion pulled the man back with all of his strength and impaled him with his burning fist. The spectre's flames soon burned away the flesh from the thief's body followed by his bones. Snapping his head to find the remaining scum, Scorpion made his way to the last surviving robber with murderous intent. The robber who was crushed under his boss' body just like his other partner begged for his life.
"No! Please!" The robber cried just as the still-burning Scorpion threw him against the bank teller station. "I give up! Just take me to the police! I-I never wanted this to happen! No one was supposed to get hurt! This was supposed to be a simple smash-and-grab job! I swear!"
"You swear?!" Scorpion outraged, "YOU SWEAR?! YOU CHOSE TO DO THIS AT THE COST OF EVERYONE AROUND YOU! NO PLEADING WILL SAVE YOU FROM MY WRATH!"
Before the robber could beg further, Scorpion had already pulled his mask to reveal his true nature. No longer was there flesh and blood he had as a mortal. Only that of the face of Death wreathed in flames, with eyes burning in unending rage.
The robber breathed frantically in horror. "What the hell are you?!"
"VENGEANCE!" Scorpion answered before engulfing the thief in Hellfire. The thief died screaming in agony as his flesh burned away. All who witnessed the spectre's face looked away in pure terror. The young man who recorded the event, and still is, was left speechless by the horrific scene even as the phone kept filming.
By the time Scorpion had dealt with the last of the robbers, the hostages around him kept their distance. Even when he tried to help them, many cried in terror after witnessing his brutal display.
"M-Monster!"
"P-Please spare us!"
"S-Stay away!"
As they pleaded for their lives, the spectre stepped away from them. The flames. And now, all he felt was remorse.
"I-I… I didn't mean… to scare you…" Scorpion tried to explain, "I only wanted to save yo-"
"FREEZE!" Suddenly, he was flanked by SWAT members who entered the building and aimed their sights down on him. The spectre simply stood there, covered in the blood and soot of his victims, looking at all the blank and emotionless faces before. His eyes finally went down to the woman he had tried to save earlier. All the warmth from her eyes she once had had been replaced with a cold dead stare, with blood pouring out of the exit wound of her skull.
"I'm sorry…" He apologized to himself as he faced the authority, "I failed you all."
The spectral assassin immediately vanished in a tornado of fire, leaving both the authorities and the hostages wondering where he left off. Elsewhere, Scorpion would eventually find himself in an alleyway; devoid of people and noises. He walked in a daze, slouching against a graffitied wall. The spectre fell into a great depression. The rage consumed him once again. He allowed his emotions to override his actions and lead to the deaths of many under his protection. Scorpion could only grip his chest in lamentation. The pain would never end so long as his cursed life continued. He looked to the skies and roared in a mix of pain and anger. Hellfire burst from him for a moment until it subsided. The spectre knelt somberly on the ground, pulling out his katana and prepared to commit seppuku. The tip of his sword stood over to where his soft belly was, feeling it dig deep as he closed his eyes in acceptance.
"Is this how the great Scorpion would honor his clan? To honor their memory? By dying in an alley full of trash?"
Scorpion opened his eyes to find a familiar form standing before him. The man wore the traditional colors and garbs of the Shirai Ryu. It had been a short time since he met this man and a long time since the spectre once took his mortal form.
Hanzo Hasashi. The man that Scorpion was before his turning. The spectre turned away in apprehension, his old self looking down on him sternly.
"What other choice would you have me do?" Scorpion deflected. "I'm a monster. A killer. I am nothing like you."
"You still can," Hanzo responded, "And you can do so by resuming your life."
"You speak of self-preservation!" The spectre argued. "Everywhere I turn, Death follows behind my heels like a dog hunting for scraps! I am a curse to the living! What good is there to live for if not to bring ruin to these mortals?! I should be dead! I should be…"
Scorpion hung his head in despair as he thought of his family. "I should be with them…"
The man looked solemnly at his revenant form and said, "Dying honorably is worthy in its own way. But not here. There is much to do. If not to live for yourself, then live on to bring justice to the wicked."
Scorpion shook his head in dismissal. "I failed to save that woman… they all turned me away."
"And yet, you avenged their deaths." Hanzo placed a hand on the spectre's shoulders, "The dead have no voice… but you can. This world may look different, but evil still lives. We cannot save everyone, but we can avenge those we left behind. That is your purpose now."
Scorpion contemplated the words of his old self. He looked down on his sword - no longer aiming at his belly. He looked at the reflection of the thing he hated. Convinced of his mission, the spectral assassin looked to his old self, only to find that he had vanished. With nothing but the clothes and weapons on him, Scorpion exited the alley with renewed conviction.
Vought Tower
"In today's top story, an armed robbery early this morning was cut short by a mysterious hero calling himself 'Scorpion'. Eyewitness reports describe him as a masked individual bedecked in black and yellow garbs, wielding dual katanas in his fight with the armed robbers. And that's not all, reports also describe the hero as having fire-based powers and the ability to teleport in and out of combat. In other words, a ninja. Laugh all you want, but reports say he more than lives to his creed. Indeed, here at Seven-On-7, we have actual footage of the showdown happening sent by an anonymous fan via our email. A bit of a warning, though, for what you are about to see may disturb some viewers."
The camera quickly cut to footage of the armed robbery happening. The video was edited and shortened but showed plenty to attract the audience.
"I am Scorpion! Last of the Shirai Ryu! And Spirit of Vengeance!"
The footage quickly cuts to Scorpion taking out all of the armed robbers with nothing but his swords, skill and power. Blood was heavily censored but it did nothing to hide the ferocity of this man's capabilities. The video got bloodier and more extreme as it continued on, ending with the last thief at the spectre's mercy. The man was now covered in flames from top to bottom; completely unaffected. He would then take off his mask to reveal a flaming skull for a head. The thief looked absolutely terrified for the right reason.
"What the hell are you?!"
"VENGEANCE!"
The video ended just before the man was engulfed in flames. The video then faded out and returned to the anchorman, Cameron Coleman, who looked mildly disturbed.
"Oof. Truly harrowing." Cameron looked affected by the footage but quickly looked back at the camera with his iconic smile, "With over 850 million views in just two hours and counting, the video has garnered widespread praises and condemnation from the public. Supporters have already dubbed the man known as Scorpion as a hero and clamored for answers as they wondered just who is this vigilante and who exactly are the Shirai Ryu?"
Cameron's breadwinning smile quickly turned into a soured frown as he went for the cut.
"And to the naysayers who condemned this man's actions for what they describe as 'supe brutality' to those criminal scum, who are you to accuse this hero of doing the right thing? Six innocent lives were lost on that day and you go on and cry because he spilled the blood of those scumbags?! Who are you to step in and speak for the victims?! Well, let me tell you what's on my mind! And that is-"
The TV screen cut to black. Madelyn turned to her boss, who kept that neutral expression he was known. As if judging by his own merit by his terms. Madelyn, for her part, was partly mad and partly worried about what this could mean for their team.
"I can see why this should be a concern, Maddy," Edgar conceded, "Even after seeing this video twenty-five times so far today, I can say that this man is definitely a target of our interest. Although, I am curious as to why you would come to me instead of just calling him from our database. Hell, I want to know how he got wind of the robbery before our company sent one of our premiers."
"Then I am glad we are on the same page, Stan." Madelyn said gently before breaking the news, "There's just one problem…"
"And that is…?" Stan was now cocking an eyebrow at her. Madelyn breathed in before breaking the news.
"He's not in our database."
"Then track him down." Edgar casually brushed it off, "If he's not on the list, just find his chip. We've dealt with heroes who keep their identities a secret. That's how we usually find our hidden gems."
Madelyn laughed nervously and specified further.
"You don't understand, Edgar." Madelyn explained, "He's not chipped. We can't even find him."
That got her boss' attention. Edgar was now grimacing at this new development.
"Explain."
"As I have said, Mr. Edgar." Madelyn expressed formally. "This 'Scorpion' guy, whatever he is, is not in our database. I've had Ashley go through our databanks. Not a zilch. I've called our Japanese Branch, they don't have anything on this guy. Nothing. It's like he never existed until now. Guy's a total ghost."
Madelyn's face darkened as a revelation hit her. "You don't think we've been-"
"No. Impossible." Edgar ceased her concerns, "Vought has always been protective of their products. By 'theirs', I mean ours. We monitor what goes in and what goes out. All of our employees are properly screened and given NDAs upon hiring. That includes all of their internet activities. So far, we have ensured that all of them remain compliant. And those who don't can expect… an early retirement."
Madelyn had already figured out what he meant. She was no idiot, but she felt unsure if that was just Edgar directing the blame on her. Which she hoped wasn't the case.
"I'm well aware, sir." Madelyn conservatively said, "I will have this fixed as soon as possible."
"That's all I wanted to hear, Madelyn." Edgar sported a smile. Not a genuine one. The kind that could make a crocodile flinch. "And if you do catch him, probe some questions and offer whatever Vought could provide. Maybe… a seat among our premiers?"
Madelyn looked blankly at what Edgar had just said.
"You… want him to join the Seven?"
"Well, I suppose that is being too charitable." Edgar backpedalled, "Candidacy, more like. I understand we are still going through drafts after Lamplighter retired. And already, Scorpion's made quite a headline."
Madelyn couldn't help but agree. With the video spreading like wildfire, the new hero had a score of 20.7 points with the young adult crowd. Sixty percent of which belong to Asian Americans. It was an unprecedented event that Vought would kill to have.
"I couldn't agree more, Edgar." Madelyne was going into bootlicker mode, "But even if there is a possibility, there is still the issue of him working along with Black Noir. I mean we do endorse diversity in our company, but having two ninja-themed superheroes in the Seven might disrupt a balance. Barring some exceptions like the TNT-Twins from the Payback days, all of our superhero teams have had individuals distinguishable from each other and never run in the same lane."
"Again, Madelyn, you do make a good point." Edgar acknowledged, "I can't imagine Vought without Black Noir no longer in the picture. He has proven himself an exceptional asset to our company's image. Speaking of which, even if Scorpion doesn't make the cut to the Seven… we can always add him as a backup."
Madelyn understood where he was getting at. And she couldn't agree more.
"Done! I'll have our Crime Analysts continue their search." Madelyn clapped both of her hands with a smile.
"Excellent news, Madelyn." Edgar complimented, "Be sure to update me on any news of your progress. In the meantime, I'll try to get Crisis Management to investigate any possible leaks. See what they scrounge up."
"You're the best, Edgar." Madelyn smiled her way out, quietly closing the door behind her. As soon as she turned, she quickly dropped the smile and let out her annoyance known in one.
"Fuck."
Back on Floor 99, the Seven - well, the Six at this time - watched the news coverage with curious thoughts. Homelander was the most attentive to the TV monitors and so were Black Noir and Translucent as they observed the hero known as Scorpion onscreen; A-Train and the Deep took occasional glances but mostly were focused on their phones, watching the actual unedited footage in gory detail. Queen Maeve - or just Maeve by her colleagues - was the least interested in the news, scrolling through her phone and ignoring the Scorpion buzz.
Homelander was quick to pause a close-up of Scorpion's face before Cameron Coleman's face showed up. The star-spangled hero turned to his team and started circling the table.
"Well," Homelander cleared his throat, "Thoughts?"
An eerie silence deafened the room. None dared speak up to their leader. Speak first, at least. Homelander could only roll his eyes and repeated himself.
"Okay guys, it's an honest question. What are your thoughts on this Scorpion guy? You're free to speak plainly."
"Oh!" Deep realized, before awkwardly raising his hand. Homelander sighed in annoyance.
"Yes, Deep?"
"Well, uh, sir, he is a…" Deep was trying to form the words before noticing A-Train and Translucent were shaking their heads at him.
"...A dangerous element, sir." Deep came up, "He is total bad news. This Scorpion guy just brutally murdered a bunch of criminals on camera. Especially that last guy who was literally pissing himself and begging for mercy."
"Really? I kinda like the guy." Homelander spoke thoughtfully. "At least how he handles crybabies like that wuss in the video. Plus, he definitely plays fire. No pun intended."
Deep nervously laughed and said, "Good one, sir!"
Deep always exasperated Homelander. Thank God, the sea-themed hero was submissive to the blonde hero to toy with.
"Still, on a serious note, he could make one hell of an addition to the team. We have been the Six for too long, gonna need a new ass warming up that seat over there now that Lamplighter's out of the game." Homelander pointed at the empty that chair once belonged to its previous owner.
Translucent was up next and raised his hand. Homelander pointed and called to him.
"Trans?"
"Uh, Homelander, even if he were, theoretically, a part of our team, Vought would be the one to choose who joins us." Translucent countered. Homelander could hear his invisible friend's heart beating fast. "Despite the new dude reaching around twenty points with young adults, Vought would never allow two people with similar abilities on the same team. In our case, Black Noir."
"Is there a reason why?" Homelander inquired.
"Well, Scorpion is a ninja. And so is Black Noir." Translucent concluded. "And Scorpion does what Black Noir is already except with Lamplighter's powers. He'll just stir trouble and cause a rift in the Seven. I mean, why do you think A-Train replaced Mr. Marathon in the first place?"
"That-" A-Train looked ready to argue until he realized where he was, "...is very accurate, Translucent."
"You didn't raise your hand, A-Train." Homelander pointed out to the speedster. A-Train could hear his superior's tone did not match the unnerving smile he had. Thinking fast, he quickly raised his hand. Homelander changed his tune upon seeing A-Train stepping in line.
"Much better." Homelander approved and allowed A-Train to speak.
"Deep and Translucent are on point. The only way any supe would get in is if they have a power that's unique to the team. Y'know, something t-to compliment the others… to s-synthesize…?"
"Synergize." Maeve corrected.
"Synergize, yeah!" A-Train turned to Maeve. "Yes, thank you, Maeve! Lifesaver!"
Homelander seemed content with the answer, before looking at Maeve. The only female supe in the Seven was aware of her golden-haired friend's stare and met him eye to eye.
"Queen Maeve." He formally called her. "You have anything to say? About Black Noir's newest rival?"
"And why do you care so much?" She carelessly asked. The rest of the Seven kept quiet, more concerned about their own skin than hers. Truthfully, Homelander didn't mind her rebel act. In fact, she was the Deep's opposite. He loved her honesty. He loved how she didn't give a shit about what his opinions and thoughts were. If she spoke her mind and talked shit, he would gladly let her rip. To an extent, that is.
"Answer my question, Maeve." Homelander replied, "Answer and you shall receive."
Maeve stayed quiet for a moment, narrowing her eyes at his smug grin.
"...if Noir beats the guy to death for stealing his thunder, call me when it happens. I'll bring some vodka."
Homelander chuckled mirthly. "Always with the sardonic humor."
Looking at the final member, Homelander could see Black Noir scribble down something on his little board. He could already tell his long-time friend wasn't having it in the way his body language and frustrated sigh expressed before showing his writing.
OUT
Homelander nodded firmly and took a deep breath.
"Well, at least now I know the consensus. As for you, Maeve; since you asked, it's simple: I want to know what sort of competition we might have."
The rest of the Seven looked at each other, mildly confused by his statement.
"..W-With Scorpion, sir?" Deep asked what was in everyone's mind.
"Yes, Deep," Homelander replied, "Well, not with me, of course. All of you, on the other hand, that's a different story."
"Sir?"
"Jesus, Deep." Homelander rolled his eyes. "I'm saying three of you in this group are fucked with this guy around! And I can already predict how bad of a fuck-up that'll go. Theoretically-speaking."
Homelander started with the Deep.
"Deep. You're fucked. Obviously. As soon as he gets near you, you're basically grilled fillet."
Deep tried to voice his opinion but deflated immediately once the reality kicked in. Homelander then turned to the rest. "Next is Queen Maeve and Black Noir. No offense to the latter but unless you've been slacking off, both of you have superior advantages in strength, durability, and regeneration. This guy, though, looks like he is in his most active prime. Though we may not know what his stats are, his pyrokinetic and teleportation abilities may give him the edge over you both. Which leaves us to me, A-Train and Translucent."
Homelander looked at both the speedster and the invisible supe. "Now Trans here not only can turn invisible, but his carbon skin is also diamond-hard. If it comes down to a fight, Scorpion will soon realize he's in over his head. And A-Train? Even with teleportation, Scorpion is definitely gonna have a hard time catching up with him."
Homelander breathed deeply as he went to the last person in the room.
"And then there's me. Homelander. The Homelander. Need I say more?"
Out of the group, Deep clapped enthusiastically. Followed by A-Train, Translucent, and Black Noir who clapped moderately. Maeve, of course, was the only one who didn't. Just as she was the only woman in the group, she had to be the one person to not bend over for Homelander. Suddenly, A-Train raised his hand with a question in mind.
"That was a great speech, Homelander. Fantastic as always… but I don't quite get it."
Homelander blinked his eyes rapidly as he tried to understand A-Train.
"W-...What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's cool to know that you know all our stats and planned out this hypothetical event, which is great. It's just…" A-Train tried to wrap his mind around, "Are you… expecting a fight with this guy?"
"Well, no, A-Train," Homelander dismissed, briefly snorting, "Like I said, t-this is just a theory. The point I'm making is that this team needs to pull their fucking weight. All I'm saying is that we need to look strong in the face of new blood and I don't want our resident ninja feeling left behind."
Black Noir clutched his chest, touched by Homelander's words.
"It's because the new guy's got higher points, isn't it?" Maeve spelled it out for the group, "And you don't like the fact that he's stealing your fans. Isn't that right, Homelander?"
Homelander could only stare blankly at Maeve with that unnerving smile. She really struck a nerve on him. The worst part is, she was right. The newbie not only got more coverage in a day, but he also didn't play by the rules like Homelander. And that angered him.
The blonde supe didn't say a word for a solid minute. The entire room was completely silent and it unnerved the rest of the Seven. Even Maeve, who stared with defiance, felt some apprehension by the now-muted Homelander. It only took three minutes before Homelander emoted again and chuckled.
"Meeting's adjourned," Homelander ordered, "Get the fuck out."
On that, the entire group departed, with Maeve leaving last and giving Homelander a fake smile. Just when he thought he could be alone, Homelander quickly beamed up as Stillwell came into the room with that sultry minx smile of hers.
"Madelyn!" He greeted, "Afternoon! Guess you wanted to see me?"
"Yeah, uh…" Madelyn did a double-take, "Did…Did you just have a meeting…?"
"Well, yeah." Homelander answered honestly, "Nothing big, really. Just… looking for new blood."
"I see now." Madelyn leaned on the table across them, "It's about the supe Scorpion, isn't it?"
"Didn't know telepathy was your superpower, Maddy?" Homelander remarked with a smile.
"Don't need superpowers when you have the entire media going crazy," Madelyn smirked, looking at the paused image of Scorpion's zoomed-in face, "Anyways, corporate wants this guy. Maybe not on the Seven just yet, but he definitely could make for a good rep for Japan."
"Sounds good to me." Homelander approved, "I mean with Noir getting a little antsy about him, that should be some good news to bare. Besides, it's about time Japan got a supe. Especially after we bombed the masculinity out of them. Twice, in fact."
"Actually, Homelander…" Madelyn was sucking the air through her teeth, "This new supe actually poses a problem. For you all, in fact."
Homelander snorted. "Yeah, yeah. I already went down with the team about him. Made a hypothetical discussion about how it would go down, yadayadayada and all that. At worst, we'll end up losing three. And that is if we slack off. Besides, not an issue I can't handle."
"...That's not the problem I'm concerned about." Madelyn replied, making Homelander blink in confusion.
"W-What's the problem, then?"
"He's not chipped."
Homelander's smile quickly dropped when she told him and flatly said, "What?"
"Yeah. And that's not all," Madelyn went further, "We don't even have records on this guy. Not even a birth certificate. Guy's a literal ghost in our database. For all we know, he is a rogue element. Right now, Crime Analytics is trying to zero in on his whereabouts."
"So…" Homelander tried to grasp the information, "You're telling me this guy is outside of our control? Does that mean someone outside knows about… the formula?"
"No," Madelyn lowered her voice, "Not that we know of. I spoke with Edgar. He's got Crisis Management sweeping through all of our logs and employees as we speak. And if anything, our security is tighter than a virgin's asshole. Nothing goes out without our notice."
Homelander was deeply disturbed by what he was hearing now. Vought, as everyone knew, was a fucking juggernaut of a corporation. They were the reason superheroes were the mainstay in America, as well as what made the country so great. And that success came from their confidential formula known as Compound V. So to hear this brought to America's beloved hero made his hair stand.
Homelander turned to the image of the spectral hero. Homelander tried to dismiss his thoughts but… he couldn't help but feel… emasculated. The Scorpion vigilante was making big waves already. And even though Homelander was the strongest supe in the entire world, he couldn't help but sense this new supe was a top priority.
"So what now?" Homelander turned back to Madelyn.
"For now, we find him as soon as we can. Outside of it, the public cannot know about this. Crime Analytics is hard at work, but…"
"You want me on the field to find him?" Homelander concluded. Madelyn simply caressed his shoulders and gave that lovely smile to him.
"No, not you." Madelyn waved off, "One of our premiers should do the job. Though, having the Seven patrol all over New York should do just the trick."
Homelander smiled warmly. "Works for me."
"Good, I'll be in my office. If you need anything, come by."
Homelander nodded as Madelyn departed the room. With himself alone now, The blonde superhero took one long look back at Scorpion with a stoic expression.
"Just who are you?"
Well, it's certainly no coincidence that I wrote this with MK1 now having Homelander in the game as upcoming DLC. Something I'm looking forward to alongside Peacemaker and Omni-Man (and best boy Takeda). Still, I won't go further beyond that. With all that said, I do miss good ol' Hanzo now that Kuai Liang's taken the Scorpion mantle. Still with everything that went down near the end of MK1, I suppose it does open up potential plotlines. Which I will keep my cards close to heart for now.
Back to the story, it was partly inspired by B1ue Ange1s' Dogs of Kombat and Running Against the Dogs (wish they were continued, though). Besides that, Hanzo!Scorpion is actually wearing his MK9 suit for those who don't know, since that's his most well-known costume (had it been any other, Deception would have been my top pick; God they had some good sh!t in that game (can't forget about Jade's horoscope, Sindel's ending, Sub-Zero's Shredder cosplay, my boi Havik and that opening cinematic)). I'll be honest, I do find MK11's writing a bit contentious in most areas and I would have set this story in my own version of MK post-X when 10 left a lot of storyline potentials right before Kronika and her stupid time-travelling plot happened.
Otherwise, Vought's got quite a plate to handle here. And as for Billy Butcher's whereabouts, I'll keep my lips sealed for now.
And as for other MK characters, that's also a secret. Although, we all know the other iconic ninja is gonna show up one way or another. So not really a secret at all.
I'll admit this did throw a wrench into my plans in regards to my Soul Calibur/Mortal Kombat story. And I probably should finish the Boys crossover with Doom before selling it off to another author. Maybe.
Still, hope everyone enjoyed it! This was pretty fun to write! I lost sleep for the past few days because of it! Leave a comment as always! See ya around!