Chapter Five: Collateral Damage

What…? Peter steps back with abscessed dread, throat tightening as he tries to convince himself he misheard. "What..?"

Billy stalks towards him, tilting his head lower, eyes two fathomless pits that see straight through him. "I heard what that semi-transparent cunt was saying to you Peter, talking about how he was gonna turn you into a fucking cripple, and all because you were defending yourself. Now, that's just pure fucking evil if I've seen it, don't you think?"

"WHAT?"

"Shut up for once in your goddamn life MM…!" For a moment all Peter can see is Billy's face looming over him, eyes flickering between his own imploringly, serious. "Can you do it or not Peter?"

Okay, so maybe you shouldn't have been so quick to agree to help the crazy people who smoke bombed you, Parker...

Peter breathes carefully, chest tight. "I-"

MM's hands grip Billy's shoulders, pulling the man away from him with a good yank and shoving him to the side. "Back the fuck up Butcher, I'm not playing with you."

Billy shoves the man away, bristling as he tosses his hand out towards the freezer door, his narrowed gaze skipping around the group. "He's the only one of us that's actually managed to make the fucker bleed, do the math on that one Sherlock."

"No you SHUT THE FUCK UP Butcher. You've really fucking lost it… this is just like Mallory and her fucking grandkids-"

"No it's fucking not-"

MM shakes his head, expression hardening with resolve, voice low pitch as he points at the man. "You're on your own."

"Who are you trying to convince now?" Billy's lip curls down into a sneer, jerking his head towards the silently stewing French man, his posture an abrupt stillness at MM's vibrating side. "You got something to fucking say, Frenchie?"

"Yeah, Butcher, Maybe I do, Maybe I want to ask what the fuck is going on inside that messed up head of yours. But will you ever tell me?" Frenchie shakes his head, meeting MM's eyes in seemingly solidarity before shrugging. "I didn't give you that bomb to recruit any child soldiers, I mean look at that visage de bébé? It's like you are asking me to punch an infant in the fucking face."

Peter isn't entirely sure if he should be offended by that, nonetheless..

"Billy?" Billy lurches with surprise, head snapping towards him in an instant, eyes wide. Peter makes sure his tone bares no miscommunication, apprehensive and dropping to a defensive position. "This isn't right, and you know it. I-I can't let you go through with this, you get it, right?"

Billy eyes his change in posture blankly, if not a bit irritated as he sucks in his cheek, tossing out his hand as if chopping something. "Oi, let me just get this fucking clear. So, Translucent, in all his cunty-ness, throws a fucking flatscreen at you, knowing full well it could have murdered the both of yous on the fucking spot, then proceeds to kick the living shite out of you while threatening to paralyze you.. And you still think the fucker what, deserves redemption?"

"Whether he 'deserves redemption' or not is not something for you or me to decide. This Isn't right." Peter stands taller under the eyes of the group staring at him, heart pounding in his chest. "You need to let him go."

MM's eyes close, his face twisting angrily as Billy laughs at him contemptuously after a moment, wiping a pretend tear from his eye. "Oh, that was a good one, Pete. Really. Tell me, what the fuck, exactly, do you think the stupid cunt is going to do the second he gets out of here? Hmm? Because I'll tell you what, he's going to go running," He makes the running motions with his two fingers in the air, his smirk growing as Peter swallows. "-straight to daddy, AKA Homelander, who's going to then go straight to you, mad as all fucking hell. Perhaps even mad enough to fry a bug or two-"

"ENOUGH!" MM roughly wipes a hand down his face as he glances repeatedly towards the fridge door, the seemingly empty metal wire cage just barely visible through the fogged window. "Shit! This is all kinds of fucked up Butcher. I didn't sign up for this shit."

"I know," Billy admits with a spare of regret seeping into his tone, slightly startling Peter. He had been beginning to wonder if the man even knew the meaning of the word... "But it's a bit late for that now, we've fucking got him and he's seen our faces. It's either Peter smashes the cunts brains across the fucking floor or we're dead."

Peter feels sick at the imagery, stepping back unconsciously while shaking his head, almost unable to stop. "No. No, I-I don't understand, I thought that's why we're fighting against Homelander...? So that nobody else has to get hurt-"

"No, Peter," MM scoffs as Frenchie turns away from them with a frown, walking over to a toolbox laid out on one of the steel countertops, rummaging through it. "This is a whole lot more personal than the greater fucking good. Butcher doesn't give a shit about how many people get hurt along the way, just so long as that bleach blonde asshole dies, right? How's that for a 'collateral damage' speech?"

Of course he doesn't... Peter looks around the room nervously, noting the little window he could probably propel himself through easily enough… But… "So, to be clear… You asked for my help… To kill people?"

Billy shoves his hands into his pockets, brows raising at him haughtily. "What in the fuck did you think was going to happen here son, huh? Tell me, what prison can hold Homelander? Because I'd love to give them a fucking ring. No, it's at times like these we have to take justice into our own hands Peter. Trust me, that fucker deserves every bit of pain we can offer him. He-"

"-Isn't Translucent." Hughie suddenly interrupts him sharply, warningly. "You can't blame him for being confused when you purposely misled him in the first place. What's your big plan here anyway Butcher? Because if you didn't notice, Translucent kind of kicked all of our asses last night."

"I was thinking maybe, he could hold him under water," Billy mimics such, shaking his clenching hands down aggressively in the air with a wild, frosted glint growing in his eyes. "Bugger him across the noggin' a few times more, maybe electrocute the cunt back to sleep again and bye, bye, off the sandy shore he goes… He shan't be fucking missed."

Hughie shakes his head, baffled. "That is the stupidest idea I've heard, and you're actively trying to get a child to murder someone. Even if we were to agree- IF- It's- It would be way too risky, his grip could slip… Translucent could just, wake up at any moment- heaven forbid a fish swim by and-and fucking alert The Deep…!"

"Bathtub it is then." Billy rolls his eyes, tossing his hands up as if they were having a dispute over what to eat for dinner rather than deciding a man's fate. "Alright, it was just one fucking suggestion. I don't see you throwing out any winning ideas."

"Maybe because, despite your best efforts, I don't want to kill anybody? I'm not a murderer, and neither is he."

Billy steps up to Hughie with purpose, staring down at the man from his nose as he sneers. "Well, that's good and fine. Because I am."

Annnnnnd, I think I've heard enough.

"Right..." Whack.

The strand of webbing sticks to Billy's arm, yanking the man towards the wall as it spreads, clinging to the surrounding pavement, gluing the man to the surface. Peter shoots another web immediately, sticking Billy's other hand on top of the other as it instinctively jerks over.

Billy looks up at him with a wild look, roaring. "FRENCHIE!"

!

Peter turns just in time to get the brunt of something wet and heavy splattering across his face from a bottle. Seething, hot flashes rush through his body like bucket dump, a thick, heavy, peppery perfume crowding every space in his chest-

!

Peter kicks out as something sharp pinches his leg, wheezing as he stumbles into a table and flicking out another web. Frenchie's eyes widen as his legs clamp together as if his shoelaces had been tied, arms flailing as he falls to the pavement with a groan and the bottle rolls across the room. "Shit.."

"Shit! Peter, are you alright? Fuck, Frenchie!"

Peter grimaces as he yanks the needle out of his thigh, the yellow contents having disappeared halfway through the syringe. That's probably not good.. The instrument falls to the floor with a clatter.

"Kid?"

!

Peter lurches away from MM, struggling for breath through thick, burning coughs as he blinks back the sudden dizzy spout. What the heck was that stuff..? "If you want.. my help.. against Homelander, you'll.. let me take him and go."

"No chance. Ain't happening." Billy says calmly from his place grafted to the wall, voice far too loud. "You ain't going no where Peter."

Peter wobbles, table lurching with a loud screech as he uses it to catch himself.

"Butcher-"

"Don't." Peter warns MM and the man immediately freezes at his tone, raising his hands as he turns to face him, looking pained. Peter's doubling gaze flickers towards Hughie and he raises his own hands at the prompt, eyes as blown wide as last night…

"Just- Last night.. You owe me… Right?" It's a low blow, Peter knows. He can't find it in him to care the moment it seems to do the trick, Hughie's shoulders slumping much to Billy's sudden aggravation, struggling against his bonds all of a sudden.

"You- fucking wimp! He'll- Homelander will kill us all, don't you get that, you stupid, fucking kid!"

"Peter." MM takes a breath as he sends a glance towards the wiggling Frenchie on the floor, giving the man's side a harsh, warning kick as he rolls a bit too close.

MM turns back to Peter in the next breath, smiling tightly. "Peter, I know this is… it's fucking nuts. I get that. And listen, you don't have to kill anybody. Remember what I told you? All he does is talk shit," Peter glances towards the oddly silent Billy, leaning precariously to the side before he sways back to a stand as vertigo hits him, a queasy belt wrapping around his stomach. I need… I'm not going to be able to stand much longer… "..ut he's right about one thing, and it's that if we let this asshole go? He'll tell Homelander everything. And Homelander?"

"He will kill everyone, anyone we could care about. Hell, maybe it'll be a random lady on the street… you just, don't know."

Fan-freaking-tastic.

"MM," Peter attempts, the rasp in his voice thick as stands a bit straighter with his hand bracing on the table. "Move."

"MM don't you fucking move..!"

!

Hughie's outstretched palm catches his web like glove, flinging his arm back and attaching it to the wall just behind him with a yelp as Billy continues to curse and kick.

"Peter-!" MM makes a face as his feet are webbed to the ground, one of his hands suddenly stuck securely to the tabletop with a wad of web. "Wait- Son- Just… wait a minute!"

Peter breathes thickly, stumbling over Frenchie's fallen form as the man tries to roll in his way, stopping the man with a web, latching his shoulder to the ground. "Petit Peter, wait!"

"Peter! Don't you open that fucking door..!"
The door creaks open and Peter stumbles along with the sudden swing of it, sliding along the wall until he falls to his knees in front of the cage. He reaches forward to unclasp the latch when buzzing, hair thin sparks crackle across his finger tips-!

"AHAHAH- You stupid fuck-!" Peter grits his teeth as his vision blots, the remaining volts shuddering out of his frame as Translucent peels laughter.

"PETER! Fuck, fuck!" MM's shouting fades to dull thud, Peter's heart pumping in his chest as his blood rushes in his ears.

Think think think think think think-

The empty space in the cage creaks and Peter stares at the wires connected to the frame, following them to their source. A couple car batteries seem to be rigged together, humming with energy he realizes now that he's trying his best to focus. Yup, that'll do it...

"Hey," Peter blinks warily, dragging his lolling head up with surprise as he's suddenly staring at a man inside the cage. A hem- very naked, man… Translucent lowers his head a bit, arms hugged around his crossed legs, eyebrows picking up alongside his grin. "Peter, right?"

He can hear cursing in the background, like a fixture. "Don't listen to that supe cunt Peter! Fuck!"

"Don't listen to them kid, you did good. Standing up for one of your own," Translucent leans forward, eyes flicking towards the homemade generator. "There's a lever, if you turn off the electricity I'll handle those assholes for you, okay kid? Consider it a thank you for the rescue."

"I propose a counter offer," Peter breathes carefully, making sure to meet the man's eyes, feeling awful for having to leverage his freedom in the first place. "I let you go and help you get back home, and in return you leave them alone."

"I- did you just say you'll 'help me get back home', Jesus Christ," Translucent's smile drops a bit as he surveys Peter, nodding after a moment of thought, hands gripping his knees. "Fine, fine. Whatever, just flip the switch."

"Promise me."

"NO-No, no, no no no..!"

"PETER!"

Translucent stares at him, face completely serious. "Okay kid, I promise."

Peter gets to his feet as the lever slides down, the thrum of electricity cutting off sharply as he uses the wall to support himself. There is a pause before Translucent leans forward, unlatching the cage. The door swings open with a creek.

"Wow."

!

Peter watches as Translucent disappears from head to toe, the door flap banging and ricocheting against the cage violently as the man presumably exits. "You're a lot more naïve than I thought."

"That's…One way of saying thank you…" Peter slurs, sliding down the wall into unconsciousness.