Nubia's Fall
By evolution-500
Genre: Horror/Tragedy
Disclaimer: "The Boys" is a property by Garth Ennis and Dynamite Comics. I own neither the characters nor this respective title.
WARNING: This story contains violence, coarse language, dark subject matter and disturbing imagery. Reader discretion is advised.
"Not easily may an individual escape the deep slavery of the herd."
- Algernon Blackwood
The car was stalling.
Twisting the ignition, an African-American woman wearing a grey trench coat with large hoop-like earrings swore as it didn't start, slapping at the dashboard. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Come on. Come on!"
Raising her bald head, she looked wildly around in various directions, checking the rearview mirror and side-mirrors.
Of all the fucking places to be in, it had to be in fucking Harrisburg, Pennsylvania!
She needed to get away. She needed to run and get to someplace safe, find somewhere to hide.
She was not going back to the G-Mansion in Connecticut, back to John Godolkin, fuck that! She didn't want to go back to that fucking monster, not in a million years. She would rather die than be in that hellhole for another minute! Enough was enough - she had power, she had money, and nothing was going to stop her. Not Vought, not the G-Pricks, nobody! She was not the scared little girl anymore.
The woman didn't know where exactly she was going, nor did she care how long she would have to keep running for - it didn't matter if it was for a year, two years, or a hundred, she was gonna run as fast as she can and never look back, even if it meant leaving the country. She wanted to get away and start over.
Find her family, and go back to being Andrea Richards again.
Letting out a whimper, Nubia wiped the sweat from her damp forehead as she looked frantically in all directions, trying to find some way to escape.
Closing her eyes, she shakily panted. "You can do this," she told herself. "You can do this, girl. You can-"
"Nubia!"
Her eyes widened in alarm as she heard her name being called by an all-too familiar voice.
Looking in the rearview mirror, she saw a tall and lean Caucasian woman standing several feet behind her vehicle, her short leather jacket, bustier, tight-fitting pants, gold-buckled belt and thigh-high heeled boots all shining the same color as her distinctive shoulder-length silver hair.
Shaking away her stupor, Nubia grabbed her suitcases and purse as she flung the door open, darting away as fast as she can, her grey trench coat fluttering around her.
Looking over her shoulder, she watched as the silver-clad woman stared at her back before silently and grimly following after her, her face dark and expressionless.
Several hours earlier...
"Come in."
Opening the door, Silver Kincaid stepped into the office, her eyes empty as she tall.
Behind a brown desk was a thin Caucasian man with a long and narrow face with oily black hair that was parted in the middle and aging, with thick black eyebrows and an equally long nose. Immaculately dressed in a grey business suit with a white shirt and tie, to anyone else, he would have looked like any other businessman, but Silver all-too well knew that it was a mask that concealed the slimy slug underneath. Steeling herself as the man stared at her with those horrible dark eyes of his, she levelled her gaze as she used every ounce of restraint that she could muster.
Beside the seated figure was another Caucasian man that leaned against a nearby wall, wearing an outfit reminiscent of a motorcycle cop, his clothing consisting of a black leather jacket, purple jeans, dark riding boots and long white gloves. The man's most distinctive feature, however, was his white helmet with a chinstrap, his eyes concealed behind a pair of goggles, while his forehead glowed a bright and ominous red underneath the helmet itself, as if a second hidden pair of angry eyes were glaring with hellish fury.
Nearby, another figure, a towering nine-foot man with long shaggy brown hair or fur covering every part of him, one of the more inhuman-looking of the G-Men that looked like a dog molded into a man, stood close with his arms folded together, giving an unmistakably contemptuous glance in Silver's direction.
"Took you long enough!" Five-Oh growled.
Hearing that, Critter gave a derisive snort. "Her highness too busy to be punctual?" he remarked with contempt, a smirk crawling up one side.
Silver ignored them both, turning her attention focused on the man behind the desk. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yes," the man spoke, his voice a deep baritone. "It would seem that Nubia has gone missing. I've had both Luckless and Pusspuss search for her along with Europo. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
She blinked in surprise. "No I don't, to be honest."
"When was the last time that you saw her?"
"This morning," she answered. "She had been feeling under the weather lately, but she had told me that it was nothing serious."
"And she had never made mention of her going out? Did she say anything at all about where she was intending to go?"
"No. This is the first time that I'm hearing about it."
She felt the man's eyes linger on hers, making her skin crawl. Part of her wanted to kill him right then and there, but Five-Oh and Critter's presence only served as deterrents, unpleasant reminders that, as powerful as she was, she was helpless against the other G-Men. An attack on Godolkin was viewed as an attack on all of them, and if a single G-Man upset the apple cart, there would be hell to pay. All for one, and one for all.
For a long time, Silver felt the man's dark eyes peering into her own, as if trying to read her thoughts, if not her very soul.
It was unnerving how flat and uncaring his eyes were, like the man himself was nothing more than meat that had been brought to life just for the sole purpose of tormenting others.
Finally, he spoke, his voice making her feel ill.
"Hm. In that case, Silver," he said slowly, "I think it is time that you find her and bring her back."
It took all of her willpower not to vomit, not to crush the little fucking maggot right in his seat.
Clearing her throat, she nodded stiffly. "Yes, sir," she spoke in a neutral voice, making certain that her voice didn't betray her by showing her disgust.
"Will you need assistance from the other G-Men?"
"No, sir," the supe answered. "I can handle it by myself."
She watched in displeasure as a frown formed on Critter's face. "Sir, I think it would be advisable if I were sent instead, if not G-Force-"
"I can handle it," Silver cut sharply.
"Are you sure?" Nodding, she watched as John Godolkin offered a sickening smile, a gesture that made her cringe. "Good."
"I won't let you down, sir."
"I know you won't, Silver," he purred. "I have absolute faith in your being able to handle the situation. You always were the strongest of my children, Silver. Such a good little girl."
As Silver felt his hungry eyes on her, the supe did everything possible to not to shiver in disgust or gag. She wanted to leave. God, she wanted to leave so badly. "...Will that be all, sir?" she queried.
Letting out a breathy sigh, he nodded. "Yes," he waved. "Go bring Nubia back. She has been a very bad girl, and she needs to be punished for her actions."
Nodding stiffly, Silver turned around and exited the office, her skin feeling flushed with repressed anger, disgust and sheer loathing.
As the door to his office closed behind her, she let out a heavy sigh of relief, though not before hearing what sounded like snorts and laughter from both Five-Oh and Critter.
Pricks.
Closing her eyes, she palmed her mouth, shaking her head in self-disgust.
God, those fucking little...
Inhaling sharply, she exhaled, sweeping her fingers through her silver bangs as her eyes narrowed.
Time to find Nubia and see what the hell was going on.
Everything was getting out of hand.
What was supposed to have been a quiet escape has turned into complete and utter disaster.
Cars were lying flipped over on their sides while civilians were standing around gawking, each and every one of the pricks having their cellphones out, recording everything that was going on.
Overhead, news helicopters were flying around while news crews were nearby reporting live.
Everywhere she turned, Nubia found herself surrounded by some unwelcome set of eyes on her.
Everywhere she tried to flee, Silver Kincaid followed.
"NUBIA, STOP!" She heard. "NUBIA WAIT-"
Lifting a hand, Nubia let out a yell as a streak of lightning struck Silver Kincaid directly, the blast causing her to stagger.
Taking a shortcut through an alley, Nubia had knocked over a man carrying groceries as he was coming out of a store.
"WHAT THE- HEY, WHAT THE FUCK, LADY?!" He indignantly cried.
Beads of sweat soaked Nubia's face, her legs and lungs burning as she tried to flee as fast and as far as she could, ignoring the man's swearing.
She needed to find someplace to hide, another vehicle, but first, she needed to lose that bitch on her tail!
Running across the street, Nubia zigzagged through traffic, different alleyways, and through different blocks.
Cutting through various buildings and parlors, she ran in the middle of the street, ignoring the shouts and honks of irritated drivers as she bolted straight through traffic lights, even while they were still red.
'I can do this,' she told herself. 'I can make it. I can-'
Letting out a surprised grunt, Nubia felt herself flung off her feet as some invisible force knocked into her.
Looking up, she froze as she saw her pursuer approach with one arm stretched out in her direction.
Gritting her teeth, Nubia struggled beneath the force that was pinning her down.
"Calm down, Nubia," Silver spoke. "I don't want to hurt you."
Groaning, Nubia struggled to resist.
"I'm going to let you up, but you need to stop running, okay? Just talk to me."
Nubia watched as the silver-haired supe lowered her hand, and with it, the force holding her down was gone.
Sighing in relief, she got back to her feet, the two women warily watch one another.
"What's going on, Nubia?" Silver questioned.
Nubia adjusted her trench coat. "I'm tired, Silvi. I can't do this anymore."
"We don't have a choice in the matter."
"No, we don't," Nubia agreed ruefully.
The two women stared each other down, the air tense as they stood in a stand-off like two cowboys in a western.
Discarding her trench, Nubia revealed the tight, form-fitting sleeveless blue bodysuit that she wore as she spoke, vigorously shaking her head, "I'm not going back to Connecticut, Grace."
The silver-haired woman's mouth formed a a thin, grim line. "Nubia-"
"I'M NOT!" The blue-clad supe shouted, the sharpness in her voice punctuated by a loud crack of thunder as lightning dangerously flashed overhead, reacting to her emotions. "I don't want to be with the G-Men anymore! I don't want to spend another minute with those pricks, otherwise I'm gonna go insane! I need to get out of this shit! I can't take it anymore!"
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she shook her head, looking at the silver-haired woman imploringly.
"I can't. Just...please. I can't. Please don't take me back, Grace," Nubia pleaded. "Please. Don't let them take me."
"You know I can't do that," Grace said, her eyes drooping sadly.
Nubia swallowed, hoping that she could find some way to convince her long-time friend. "...Come with me." She watched as Silver Kincaid gave a startled look by the offer, her guard dropping ever so slightly. "We can run away together, Grace. We can get away from all this! You and I are friends, aren't we? Don't you want to be free?"
Her pleas seemingly fell on deaf ears, the silver-haired supe looking unmoved.
"I know how much you hate Godolkin, Grace," Nubia spoke. "We all do, for what he's done to us, but you...you have no reason to listen to that evil shit! I know what he took from you. I know about the things he's made you do. About Tucson, Arizona." She watched as the silver-clad woman visibly stiffened, her mouth clenching. "I know about what...what he made you do."
The hardened mask faltered, causing the silver-haired woman to grimace and squeeze her fists.
Nubia shook her head slowly. "It was fucked up what he did. Getting you to meet and kill your Uncle Paul at his motel, as some...fucked-up test of loyalty? That's messed up." Her pleading eyes bore into Silver's, "Let's get away from all this. You and me, together. We can flee the country, go someplace where nobody can ever find us. Nobody would be able to get in our way. Nobody would be able to stop us-"
Grace raised up a hand, cutting her off as she spoke. "I can't, Nubia," the silver-haired girl said quietly. "You and I know know that the G-Men aren't ever going to let us go. They won't ever stop trying to find us. We'll be running for the rest of our lives."
"Then at least we would be free from that fucker Godolkin!" Nubia snapped, the lightning cracking dangerously around them.
Both women stood silently in a tense stare-off, the thunder rumbling with a low growl, waiting to be unleashed.
Softening her eyes, Nubia exhaled as she spoke.
"...I'm pregnant, Grace." The words came out so softly and quietly, and yet the silver-haired woman heard just the same, her expression one of pure shock as it finally registered, all the pieces coming together.
"W-What?" Silver Kincaid shakily spoke, her eyes wide and mouth parted.
Nubia nodded silently.
Staring to the ground, Silver Kincaid struggled to speak for a long time.
Finally, when she was able to recover her wits, she glanced up at Nubia again, her tone soft, "...Why didn't you tell me earlier? When-When did you find out?"
Nubia shook her head sorrowfully. "This morning. The pregnancy test kits confirmed it."
She watched her friend as she struggled to process this news. "Do...Do you know whose child it belongs to?"
Nubia snorted in derision, twisting her mouth in anger. "Who do you think?!" She retorted, making the silver-haired woman wince. "Now do you understand?"
For a long while, Silver said nothing.
Finally, she gave a conceding nod. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."
Nubia's eyes met hers, the two of them silently watching one another.
"...You know that I can't go back," Nubia spoke. "Not to them. God, no. I can't go back to that fucking jerkoff Critter, that miserable puke Five-Oh, or that-that bastard Godolkin!" Seeing the discomfort that it brought to her friend, the apparent conflict warring within her, Nubia pushed further, hoping to convince her. "You know what Godolkin will do if he finds out that I'm pregnant! How many lives has he ruined already? All those G-Teams..."
Clenching her mouth, tears fell from Nubia's eyes as they burned with guilt and sorrow, "He keeps making more! All the shit that he's done to us, he'll be doing to them as well! And not just to children that he just up and snatched from their homes either! It's not enough that he raped me when I was a little girl, but to take away my baby and put it in one of those teams with those other G-Fucks, where he could have his way with them, just as he had with the other kids?! No! Fuck that! I am not letting my baby be brought up as one of those bastards! Not by him! I'm not letting him have my child! He's not having it! You can't make me!"
She watched as Silver's eyes sadly drooped.
"I'm sorry, Nubia," she said softly. "I don't know...I don't know what to do."
Swallowing, Nubia let out a shaky breath. "There is something that you can do. Walk away. Just let me go, and walk away."
"You know I can't do that, Nubia."
"Then...then you must kill me."
Silver's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"
"You heard me," Nubia nodded. "If I can't leave, then at least let me have the dignity of dying. I can finally be free of that-that...monster!"
She watched as the silver-haired woman conflicted shifted in discomfort.
"...Please don't make me do this, Nubia," she said softly. "I don't want to kill you...you're...you're my friend..."
Nubia shook her head. "You will be doing me a favor."
As seconds turned to minutes, she let out a weary breath, the news helicopter's rotors thumping like a heavy heartbeat.
"Well?" Nubia said expectantly. "What are you waiting for?! Do it!"
Again, she saw the turmoil and hesitancy in her friend's eyes, the woman shaking her head. "No."
"You don't have a choice. Do it."
Silver continued to resist, further frustrating and angering her. "For fuck's sakes, do it! What are you waiting for?!" She spat. "What, do you need an incentive or something?! Fine!" Lifting her arms, Nubia felt the electrical impulses in the clouds, causing various lightning strikes, the thunder cracking with the sharpness of a whip. "In a few minutes, I'm going to send some lightning bolts crashing down on Three Mile Island. If you don't kill me this instant, I'm gonna keep attacking until the reactor blows."
To demonstrate, she sent a series of lightning strikes over in Three Mile Island's direction, causing Silver's eyes to widen in alarm, especially as the lightning bolts started to get dangerously close to the news helicopter.
"Nubia, stop this! You're gonna kill somebody, please, stop!" She begged.
Nubia smiled a vicious grin, her eyes savagely glowing with determination. "Not until you kill me, Silvi. It's you or me!"
More and more, the storm started to grow wilder and more frenzied, the lightning strikes crackling with growing ferocity, building in size.
"IT'S NOW OR NEVER, SILVI!" She shouted, her excitement growing. Looking over to the power plant, she reared her arms back as she prepared to throw lightning. "IT'S NOW OR NEV-"
Nubia was cut off as her eyes widened with a sharp gasp as she felt a sharp pain in her chest, the supe gasping for breath, struggling to breathe. More and more she felt the pressure on her heart build, causing her to clutch at her chest.
Stumbling to her knees, Nubia stared weakly at the dark and cloudy sky, her eyes, ears, and nose running crimson pools as her voice started to cracking, "D-Do it. Finish me..."
With that last bit of urging, she heard the ringing grow louder. Letting out a sharp gasp, Nubia felt her heart crushed.
Wavering slightly, she then fell lifelessly onto the concrete road, her vision dimming as the storm overhead started to part.
Emptiness.
That was all that Grace felt as she stood silently over the fallen form of her best friend, her whole body numb with overwhelming horror and sadness.
All around, she heard the cheers of the various bystanders and filming news crews, with some of the former filming everything on their cellphones.
Grace felt the air grow heavy as she ignored the flashing lights and applauding, her eyes lingering on Nubia's vacant stare.
Part of her wanted to breakdown over the loss, and it took a herculean will and effort on her part not to cry right then and there, although she did feel her eyes water and threaten to spill.
Swallowing, she inhaled deeply as she attempted to recompose herself, lowering her arm down.
'I'm sorry, Nubia,' she thought. 'I wished that I could have saved you.'
Lowering herself down, she drew Nubia's eyelids down, then picked her up, cradling her body like a mother with a newborn baby.
"You are free now, Nubia," she whispered into her friend's ear as tears trickled down her cheeks. "You are free now. I'm...I'm so sorry..."
Someday, she was going to make John Godolkin and the rest of the G-Men pay, but for now, all she could do was to mourn the loss of a dearly beloved friend, the one true friend that had made life feel so bearable.
Ignoring the camera crews and the various reporters that tried to interview her, Silver Kincaid carried Nubia's body in silence and sorrow.
Author's Note: Man, this was a really uncomfortable story to write. So, Silver Kincaid and Nubia were two characters that I have always felt sorry for in "The Boys" comics, and because of that, I've always wanted to do a story based on them. Part of the inspiration for this fic came from wondering about the confrontation with Nubia and how it went down, while another part of me couldn't help wonder a little bit about the G-Men themselves.
For those unfamiliar with the G-Men from the comics, the G-Men were essentially the X-Men by way of Jeffrey Epstein, a horribly monstrous take on that superhero team with all these kids injected with Compound V and abused by Godolkin, the stand-in for Professor X. One of the things I couldn't help wonder about was, given the size of the G-Men as a whole, which consisted of several different teams (I think it's 80-100 people overall(?)), just how many of them could have been Godolkin's own biological children as a result of his abuse. It was a horrible thought to have, and God knows, it was disgusting to even contemplate.
I tried being faithful to the characters and story as much as I could, although there was some leeway in terms of Silver's uncle; in the comic, her Uncle Paul had died in Tucson, Arizona, following an argument with Silver's father, where, out of guilt, he had ended up taking his own life by blowing his own brains out with a shotgun. At the time, a thought I had was that Silver could have visited him in Arizona, killed him, then arranged things to make it look like a suicide, but then I saw that he had died in 1982, which would have made Silver seven-years-old at the time. I eventually figured, "why not."
I would LOVE to do another story for Silver Kincaid sometime, ideally one where things would turn out more in her favor (and preferably with her killing Godolkin), but that might have to wait for the time being.
I hope everyone stays safe and healthy.
Take care, everyone! :)
