A/N: In case y'all are wondering about Annie/Starlight or the villains from HK showing up, dw they'll be here very soon :D

Hughie, once again, tried to pretend this was all a dream. A horrible, horrible nightmare. No, there wasn't a crazy woman in front of him, engaged in a standoff with an actual superhero.

Chaos grinned, eerily so. Hero Killer kept her cool. Hughie had not seen her express any kind of emotion outside of her usual intensity… which really creeped him out.

Hughie grimaced further; Frenchie and Butcher were still out dealing with Translucent's corpse ("and some other errands"), leaving the two irresponsible children alone with the deadly hero.

"2 vs 1," Chaos tilted his head. "Doesn't seem very fair."

(Hughie wanted to point out that he had no powers, but that didn't seem very smart.)

"Luckily, I brought a friend of mine," Chaos replied.

There was yet another explosion, making it the 3rd in only 2 days for Hughie (4, if you consider Robin's death an explosion). From the smoke came out another young man, a muzzle-like mask over his mouth. He wore a purple hoodie, with red hair shaved over his side.

"Viper…?" Hughie asked.

Yet another super dangerous hero. This day just kept on getting better.

Viper zoomed towards Hero Killer. The two crashed into the cold, gray wall, cracking it right up to the roof. Meanwhile, Chaos set his sights on Hughie. He backed up, reaching the table. A collection of weaponry sat behind him. Chaos smirked, approaching him casually, as if they were good friends.

"Listen, kid," Chaos put his arm around Hughie, "I can tell… you don't belong here."

Hughie swallowed. Aside from the manic smile, Chaos didn't look all that threatening. He looked 17 at the oldest, but there was something… ancient about his eyes. A leering, powerful knowledge that made Hughie want to curl into a ball and hide.

"She's too far gone," Chaos continued, "but it's not too late for you."

Hughie watched Hero Killer out of the corner of his eye. Viper had her pinned against the wall. Her teeth were gritted.

Hughie drew closer to the table. He saw remote controls, bombs, grenades, and plenty of other horrific creations.

"You can walk away from all of this, Hughie," Chaos said. "Get out while you still have the chance."

"It's over," Viper had Hero Killer in a headlock, a blade around her throat.

Hughie's hands were slippery against the bench. Chills raced up his spine.

"... over," he repeated, quietly.

Chaos nodded, stepping aside. "Just make sure you never come back here or talk to any of these people again, okay?"

CRASH!

"Hero Killer!" Hughie gasped.

Hero Killer jumped out of Viper's grip, a hand in her pocket. Chaos smirked.

"Catch!" he shouted, tossing a grenade in her direction.

"Watch out!" Hughie yelled.

Hero Killer heeded his warning, smashing into the ceiling.

BOOM!

That was way too close.

"Helping her is a bad mistake," Chaos told Hughie. "Don't even for a second mistake her as a friend. She'd kill you too if you had any kind of power."

"Who is she…?" Hughie found himself asking.

"Someone who's a little too dangerous," Chaos grinned. "That's why we're getting rid of her now." He smirked. "Don't worry about it, Hughie. All you need to do is walk away."

You're a good boy. You're a sensitive boy. Come home.

"Hughie," Hero Killer spoke up, grabbing Viper's fists. "They're right about me… but they're not your friends either. You're collateral damage. If you died, you'd be a payout, just like your girlfriend."

And Hughie felt something new, yet something familiar: rage. The same burning, ugly rage he felt when Robin had first died.

The truth was, everyone was the same. Everyone except for Butcher, who encouraged him to seek revenge, and Hero Killer, who was murderous and dangerous, yet far less malicious than Vought. At least she didn't pretend to be something she was not.

"Don't listen to her," Chaos told him. "Once you get into this life, you can never go back. Not just you, but everyone you've ever loved will be in danger."

Hughie swallowed. It wasn't like he had a lot. His mom left him when he was still a kid, he didn't have many friends, and his dad thought he was weak. The only one who had ever truly loved him was already gone.

He stared at Hero Killer, who was growing more and more pale by the minute. It's clear she wasn't as strong as he initially believed.

She caught his eye. She flicked back to Viper.

There was a bomb attached to his back. A bomb with a tiny light, red and flashing.

Hughie eyed the selection of remotes behind him. The same light peered out at him.

"Hero Killer!" he shouted.

She gazed at him, nodding. She ducked down. Hughie sucked in a breath. She'd be fine. She had Translucent's diamond skin, after all.

Hughie grabbed the remote, swallowing.

"Hughie?" Chaos' voice was patronizingly soft, like Hughie was a little kid. "What are you doing?"

Hughie was shaking all the same. He couldn't really do this, could he?

There's no going back.

"Put it down," Chaos told him, his tone gentle as ever. "Come on, now. You know better than this."

He pictured Robin's face. Don't hesitate. Don't hesitate.

Robin exploded into guts, into nothing, into a fucking paycheck. Hughie was left with nothing but her hands in his, her palms still warm.

You're collateral damage.

He pushed the button.

BOOM!

Smoke, dust, ash. Burning flesh. Viper's body collapsed onto the floor. Well, 'body'. It was a mishmash of organs, limbs, dark red blood pooling onto the warehouse floor. Charred remains scattered around, half heartedly decorating the gruesome mess that had become Hughie's life.

Hero Killer was fine. Blood coated her cheek, the same as her burning red eyes. She stared at Hughie, her head on an angle. Her expression was impossible to read, but Hughie guessed it was some form of pride.

Chaos' laughter barked out from behind. He squeezed Hughie's shoulder.

"Very well," he grinned. "You've made your choice, Hugh Campbell. Don't say I didn't warn you!"

And then he was gone, like dust in the breeze. Hughie fell to his knees. Hero Killer said nothing, simply side-eyeing him.

Chaos was right. There was no going back. But, you know what? Hughie was fine with that. Sure, he was scared shitless of himself of all people, but he accepted it. He wasn't weak, not anymore.

"What the fuck happened here?"

Butcher and Frenchie were back, both looking bewildered. Hughie and Hero Killer eyed each other. Hughie sighed, falling over himself.

And so it began.