Maeve

When we found them at his apartment… it was a bloodbath. An utter bloodbath.

By the time we got there, John had been torn to shreds. The only thing really left in one piece was a little bit of his upper torso, and enough of a head left that the brain was still working, even though we could look right at it and see that.

Everything else… there were honestly too many pieces to tell what was supposed to go where.

We don't know everything that happened. At least, not in any particular order. But even if nobody says anything, we knew what happened to the girl when we walked into the apartment.

She hadn't even redressed, she'd just balled up next to what she assumed was John's corpse after the phone call. The whole trip back, she'd thought he was dead.

The bruises on her paint a pretty clear picture. And that says nothing of the way she isn't speaking to anyone, from what I hear.

This is just like Homelander. The kid pisses him off, so he punishes him and the girl, for no other reason than the power trip.

To my knowledge, he's never gone for a teenager before… but then again, it shouldn't surprise me. Homelander's all about Homelander, literally anyone else is beneath him.

He probably just saw her as a means to an end. Honestly, she's lucky she wasn't killed.

That was three days ago.

We hauled what was left of John and Maddie back here, and John's been in the ICU since.

Peter did make Maddie get a check up for everything before she tried to go sit with John, but that's about the extent of her contact with anyone outside of the boy. The only person she's really talked to in the past couple days is the old man.

Alex called up all of John's family, told them all to get here, that John was hurt. Even brought his little siblings with him.

Unfortunately, they don't quite know everything that's happened yet, and something tells me they won't until John wakes him.

His sister is a big fan though.

While the woman, Debbie I think, has been trying to occupy everyone's minds where she could, Bryan Gallagher has made his displeasure nothing but clear for the last three days.

His voice is loud, it carries, and yet there's always so much more in his voice than he ever talks about. Even I can hear it.

Outside of his family, Starlight got brought into the circle two days ago. When she found out, she immediately went and sat with Maddie in his room for the day.

By the start of it, his organs had finished regrowing, though they just remained uncovered. By the time she'd left late into the night, all we were waiting on were his legs and hands.

Though they didn't actually talk much too my knowledge, I did stop right in time to catch her leaving, and she'd managed to get a hug from the poor teen before she left, so that's something.

Unfortunately, things are about to pick back up again.

I'm surprised by how quickly I've settled into this role. Not Vought's show pony, but a real government agent.

Of course, because of the conditions of the deal, I still have to stick with my Vought outfit for the time being. Not to mention any time I have to return to the damn company in the not too distant future.

Starlight did come back today… but she wasn't alone.

Of everyone actually on the Seven, John's incapacitated, Me and Starlight are already here, and Homelander's proven without certainty that he can't be trusted.

That leaves two possible candidates to be brought into Continere. A-Train or Black Noir.

Neither of them are good options. Noir's Vought's number one lapdog, and A-Train is a dumbass. I don't see how either of them knowing are a good idea, and it's honestly hard for me to figure out who's the worse one.

But… color me pleasantly surprised. He was quiet as ever, never said a word, and it was hard for any of us to tell what he was thinking. But that stupid notepad came in handy, as all that was written on it was words I accept.

Considering the deal this little outfit has with Edgar, either the CEO has done something to piss Noir off, or these are orders from the man himself.

Regardless, now we have an actual ninja in the know on our little team.

Everyone's kind of just been making it day by day. Turns out that a lot of people in this building respect John, and when we first brought him in, there were a bunch of people at the door that Peter had to keep out while I watched the medical staff work and check over his vital signs.

Seeing the big bad Juggernaut in such a condition has caused a rather dreary mood to descend uninterrupted on the base. It hasn't lessened since John came back.

Well, not until Bryan came back a bit ago and told us that John was awake.

I had immediately went to go see the kid myself, but the old man stopped me before I even got out of the room, looking at me with hateful eyes.

"They're talking right now. Stay out of it."

I tried to just go past him.

The old bastard casually walked into my way.

Alex telling me to appease his wishes made me give in. I want to see the kid for myself, know for sure that he's actually fine… but if he is awake, those two deserve the time to talk about everything.

So far, it stays the same pattern. Alex and Rachel continue to monitor the screens across the room, while Peter goes from person to person checking on them and asking how they're doing, grabbing things if he needs them.

I've just taken to leaning against the wall. So far, I'm still nothing but a grunt it seems, and that's fine with me. Leave the important work to the more competent people.

Even if some of those people are almost twenty years younger than me.

Starlight's over with John's grandma and siblings, chatting away with them as if they've been friends for years. Noir just sits by himself as he tends to, literally just standing off to the side of the room doing nothing. If he is occupying himself, it's with something unseen.

The routine continues.

Well… until those massive metal doors yank open like they're on a hydraulic press.

I immediately push off the wall and stand at attention. Everyone in the room immediately turns towards the door as I do, interested to see who the new arrival is this time.

Messy black hair frames an aggravated face as John marches in, his lips pulled back in an almost animalistic snarl as he locks his gaze onto one particular person.

Alex.

"What else aren't you telling me this time?" There's no lead up, no build up, he doesn't preface or distract himself in the slightest. Even as the massive doors slam closed once more with a loud bang, his eyes stay on his supposed leader and he comes to a stop dead center in the room.

He's not blind, I know he sees everyone here. A lot of people wanting to check on him, concerned about him.

He doesn't even care right now.

At first, I want to question how he already knows that he'd been fooled, until I see the studying gaze the old man gives the two of them.

Alex doesn't even act surprised. Instead, a small, resigned sigh escaped him as he turned around and began to make his way closer to John, ignoring everyone else's eyes currently glaring at him.

Yeah, it's no secret anymore. The whole base knows, and while some give him the benefit of the doubt, there's a considerable amount of people who are pissed at our leader and have made that clear to his face.

Makes it all the more admirable considering they still don't so much as argue with his orders. Regardless of his reasoning and deception, they trust the guy.

Maybe that's why John of all people seems to be giving him a chance to explain.

"I gave your info to Edgar." Alex admits bluntly, composing himself with a stoic gaze as he keeps his arms behind his back, and John crosses his arms as the older male comes to a stop in front of him. "I'm the reason you got the offer, and I'm the reason you were even exposed to Vought in the first place."

"Yeah, I knew that." John answers without blinking, an unamused expression on his face as he eyes the leader. "Papaw told me as much. Maddie also let it slip that I'm barred from killing Homelander."

"From killing him, yes." Alex nods his head, making sure to emphasize his words as he continues to return John's stare without flinching.

John's quiet for a moment… but his answer is still nonetheless unexpected.

"Maiming?"

"Nothing everlasting."

"Scars?"

"None on the face. Can't be visible while he wears the suit."

"Broken bones?"

"So long as it can heal completely. We can set bones back into place here if we have to."

John remains quite, but I can see his jaw shifting as he grinds his teeth in thought, before a thought seems to go through his head.

I have to admit, I like how eager he is when he voices it.

"Castration?"

"Too much risk of him bleeding out with no one nearby to heal him."

I can feel his disappointment.

"Dammit…" The kid shakes himself out of his disappointment as he turns his gaze back to Alex, his eyes narrow.

"You lied to me, but I still said yes." He says, never breaking eye contact as he speaks loud enough for everyone in the room quite clearly. "In the end, Edgar made the offer, and I said yes for nothing more than a fat stack. I can't blame you for the choices I made."

Well… that's surprisingly mature. Then again, with what I've seen these last three days, teens who frequent this place probably get mistaken for adults on a regular basis.

"But what I can blame you for is keeping me ignorant." At that, Alex's head tilts to the side, and he nods his head for John to continue. A rough, gravely sigh of frustration sounds out in response, but the kid continues. "Did you know what kind of person Homelander was? This whole time?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't think to warn me?"

"Not yet, no."

"Why?"

"Because I know you." Alex replies, allowing a stern expression to come over his features. "You weren't even supposed to engage Homelander yet. The only thing you were supposed to do is make him feel threatened."

Maybe give him a bit more info than just 'you suck'.

"Yeah, cause that totally just explains things." John voices my own thoughts, and a puff of air escapes his lips quickly as he huffs in annoyance. "What do you mean you know me?"

"If I had told you from the beginning, you wouldn't have joined Vought." Alex says without any change in his tone. "Instead, you'd have gone straight to New York and killed Homelander in broad daylight. It's the same reason I've slapped this order on you."

John's lips begin to twitch, and it's clear that he's losing what patience he still has. He brings a hand up to his head with a sigh, his eyes falling closed, the sigh shifts into a breathless defeated laughter.

"So, instead, you let me bullshit with the guy as if he were the boy scout the world says."

I mean… I kept trying to-

"Because of that, I trusted this guy, thought he was safe, and deemed it safe enough for Maddie to come to the tower." John points out as he turns back to Alex with his lips pulled into a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "So tell me, Alex, did I need to know that?"

Alex remains quiet. He knows there's no justifiable response.

In the end, he's right. If Vought was a mission the whole time instead of a choice, then John got royally screwed and paid the price for Alex's actions. John didn't know everything he should've, and because of that, he and someone he's close to paid the price.

Though I did try and warn him-

"And don't you even try to say you were trying to warn me." Suddenly, John snaps around, and an aggressive finger is pointing in my direction as he looks at me with utter disdain. "Don't even say it. You didn't do a damn thing."

The timing is impeccable, and it catches me by surprise so quickly that I end up yanking back in shock, looking at him with wide-eyed confusion.

He continues to stare at me for a moment, before he slowly turns back around to face Alex, his shoulders still rising with every breath.

Silence falls as well all watch the confrontation.

And then, John sucks in a deep breath… and a calming sigh escaped him as he lets his head fall back in relief.

I find myself caught off-guard.

There's nothing special about the motion itself… but for some reason, John does it the exact same way as Homelander.

"I'm not all here right now, and I know I need to be." John says quickly and quietly, more to himself than to anyone else before he finally fixes his full attention on Alex. "Tell me everything there is for now, and we'll go from there."

Alex remains quiet, meeting John's gaze for a moment… before he sighs and turns around, moving back towards the keyboard terminal as John loosely follows.

"First off, we have a new mission for you." Alex says as he begins typing away at the keyboard. "As far as the public's concerned, you were mauled by a super-powered grizzly and are in recovery."

"Papaw told me." John says as he lets a small laugh escape him. "I wish I could say I'm surprised that the excuse worked."

As he finishes his sentence, Alex finally finishes typing away at the computer. I've come to learn that the base does have its flaws.

For example, with all the people in the room, sensors pick up too many possible voices and become unable to distinguish an authorized voice from an unauthorized one.

The same files for Operation Contrinere pop up, and John scans over the words.

John's brow furrows when he finishes reading them, and he turns to Alex with a look of realization.

"Continere. That's Latin. Container."

"In our case, containment." Alex corrects, though he still looks as impressed as us despite no changes in his voice. "I'll be honest, I'd have never figured you'd have caught that."

"You'd be surprised what he knows." The old man speaks up, the first positive emotion I've ever seen on the man as a prideful smile takes over his face. His teeth are rotted, coming apart, and I'm pretty sure half of them he's slipped back into his corroded gums.

But when John smiles, I think I can deal with the freaky smile.

"Well, the end goal is to contain Homelander. Unfortunately, we've had to revise it for the time being."

"Cause I got slaughtered?"

The way he so casually says it is… off-putting.

But a quick glance around shows that no one who knows the kid is actually surprised in the least, even if some flinch at the words.

"Yes." Alex answers evenly as he turns around and looks at John. "Everyone else, feel free to scan over the documents yourselves if you wish."

"Um, should we actually be in here for this, Alex?" Debbie, the old lady, speaks up, looking up at the commander with a questioning expression. "Isn't this top secret?"

"Ignoring the fact that your presence on this base is your NDA," Alex says as he turns towards the woman, getting the legal aspect out of the way… before he smiles. "The people that raised this boy have all my trust. Have a go if you wish."

Wow. That was surprisingly wholesome.

The old lady smiles while the kids cheer and immediately run towards the console.

Though, outside of them, everyone else stays in place for what's to follow-

"How do you scroll down?!" Suddenly, the voice John's younger brother echoes out through the room. John himself leans over and looks past Alex to the overweight boy in response.

"Arrow keys, up and down." He answers, and the boy hesitates to turn back to the computer at his brother's answer.

However, the girl doesn't hesitate, and she immediately bolts away from the console. John let's out a grunt when she slams into his side, and chuckles as he looks down at her while bringing up a hand to rub his back.

"You're a jerk."

"And you're a little shit."

The kid, Shiela, just grins as she looks up at John when she pulls away, before he gestures back to the keyboard.

"I'll talk to you two later." He promises, offering a small but confident smile to them as he does so.

The siblings share a glance, neither of them looking eager to mess with the massive computer screen all the sudden.

But eventually, they both smile and nod at the big guy, as Shiela turns and begins making her way back to the console.

It's not even five seconds before-

"Further!"

"No, I want to read that!"

"I don't!"

"Too bad!"

"Hey!" The thundering tone and the quick glare from the old man causes the kids to cease their fighting, before he goes back to paying attention to the man and teen that we're all focused on.

"In the three days since you've been out, we've had some new revelations come to light. The original plan was for you to prove you could threaten his popularity, and then take him out when you were of age." Alex lays all the important details of the original plan out for John to hear.

"So it was a long term plan?" Jesus, he doesn't even look like a kid anymore. Right now, he looks like he's been doing this shit for years.

By his own admission, it hasn't even been a single year yet.

"Yes. We had evidence to suggest you'd surpass Homelander once you'd fully developed." Alex admits without so much as a shift in tone. He's calm, collected, and somewhat expressionless and cold.

But he's not hiding anything anymore. At least not right now.

"What evidence?"

"When Homelander was your age, strength tests showed that he could barely lift an M1 Abrams."

"So?"

"An M1 Abrams weighs around sixty five tons when loaded. You lifted a Panzer Maus on your first day with one hand, a tank that weighs an excess of one hundred and eighty-eight tons and the heaviest tank in the world."

"Okay, I see the logic." John admits, nodding his head. He's with the man so far. "And you probably weigh the damn tank just to see how heavy it is, so I ain't gonna doubt the estimate. But still, that can't be all."

"Your muscles continue to strengthen with each passing day." The commander points out, raising an eyebrow. "Match that with your healing, and at the very least, we already knew that you could stand your ground against Homelander."

"Yeah, totally." There's a surprisingly joking tone in his voice, and the smile on his face is surprisingly mirthful as he meets Alex gaze with genuine amusement. "I think you were mistaken."

"We we're. But now we're not."

At that, John's amusement fades away. Instead, he cocks his head to the side, almost like a chicken, and gives Alex a glance of utter confusion.

But it's not the leader who speaks next.

"What I told you earlier, in the hospital room." Bryan speaks up, causing John to glance at the old man in confusion as well. "About your muscles coming back thicker."

"That's about the gist of it." Alex agrees, causing John to turn back to him in disbelief. "We discovered that when your healing is forced to overwork itself, it takes precautions by strengthening your muscle fibers. You have a million more fibers where one once sat, and they're even thicker than those same ones too."

Okay, now I turn to Alex myself, and I don't hesitate to blabber the first thoughts that fly through my brain.

"So what, he can't be killed the same way twice?"

My words bring all attention to me for a moment, even as Alex begins speaking before he's even finished twisting to face me.

"It's more accurate to say that whatever killed him before would have to evolve further before it can ever hope to do any damage now."

I'm quiet for a moment, as is everyone else, as we all process and understand exactly what he means.

And then… realization strikes.

"Adaptation." John speaks, his eyes widening as his arms flop back to his sides, and he looks at Alex with an expression like he's just had an epiphany.

Alex… doesn't hesitate make his thoughts clear.

"I have no idea what you mean by that."

John laughs, and he sounds suprisingly joyful considering he should still be recovering from what happened at the tower.

"Think about it." John says as he glances around at everyone else as well. "Why the hell did I get a second power?"

Second power?

Now he's lost me. You don't just manifest new powers-

"Think about everything you know has happened to me, no restrictions." John continues to make his point as he turns back to Alex and begins counting down fingers. "My step-dad beat the hell out of me, then I get gutted for three weeks straight, and now Homelander's quite literally torn me to ribbons and I'm standing here fine as a daisy." He points out, and I can't help but to flinch at the stuff he says.

…wait…

What does he mean he was gutted for-

"You never actually had a second power." Alex finally says, throwing me from my thoughts as his own face lights up in realization, and he turns away from John in thought. "Charles didn't trigger your healing, he triggered an adaptation an ability which promptly gave you healing."

"And then once a day for three weeks, and I get my insides ripped out once a day for a couple hours each,"

What the fuck-?!

What has this kid actually been through already?!

"Each consecutive session would've continually triggered the adaptation, which uses the gene itself as a catalyst!" It's like watching a bunch of theories come together to form a cohesive story, and Alex looks up at John with the faintest of smiles on his face. "Okay, clever. Good work, we were struggling to figure that one out for ages."

"I was struggling to figure it out, and it's my own damn biology." John points out with a small grin as his hands find purchase on his hips. "Don't feel too bad."

See, that was nice and all, but uh… there's one thing I don't understand.

A quick glance around the room shows that out of everyone, the only people in the same boat are fucking Starlight and Noir. At least, I'm assuming Noir, anyway.

And I'm ready to have these questions answered.

"You keep talking about a gene, and a second power, and all that stuff." I speak up, once again earning all attention to myself as I give them to them an utterly baffled and somewhat agitated gaze. "What are you talking about?"

"You're a superhuman and you don't the basic knowledge of our biology?" Alex asks, turning to me with a raised eyebrow.

I just shrug in response.

"I don't either." Starlight admits, dragging the attention away from myself as she too give them a confused gaze. "We're born this way. God chooses… doesn't he?"

That's what I've been led to believe.

Not that I'd have ever known that.

"What the fuck are you two talking about?" Bryan speaks up, causing us both to look at him in confusion as he gives us gazes of annoyance. "Even I know it. No one's born a superhuman, you carry the gene and become one if it lights up."

"What?" I can't help the way my head tilts in utter confusion as I think that over. That… doesn't make any sense. "I've had my powers since I was a baby." I tell them, utterly confused by this sudden switch.

Now I understand what John means. I'm the one in the dark, and it looks like Starlight and Noir are too. Hell, he just stands there nodding like the mute he is, while Starlight speaks up in agreement with my own claim.

Everyone just looks at us in confusion, gazes meeting each other as well as everyone in the room locks eyes with someone.

I get stuck with John… who doesn't look as angry with me as earlier, but there's still a tinge of frustration among the confusion.

"That's… not possible." Peter says, stepping forward and looking between the three of us. "You can carry the gene, and that makes you a superhuman from a technical standpoint, but you aren't just born with powers."

"No one is." Alex adds, looking between me and Starlight with the barest amounts of confusion on his face.

"Then explain us." I challenge him, giving him the sharpest glare I can muster.

"I can't, and that's troubling." He admits bluntly, as he refuses to back down from my glare, that familiar cold look on his face once more.

Oh, look, Commander Dickhead's back.

"None of you were born with your powers, that much is certain." John says as he glances around at all three of us. "I don't doubt you had powers when you were that young, but it's physically impossible to have already developed powers prior to birth when that isn't how the gene works."

"Then how does it work?"

"Stress." Rachel speaks up, finally taking a more active role in what's become a discussion rather than a briefing. "Regardless of the type, when our bodies go through immense stress, the jean kicks in and our powers are activated immediately. After that, it's just a matter if you can figure out how to use them."

"I've heard about that gift from God bullshit." John points out, glancing around at them. "No offense Annie, but the fact that you believed that is not a good thing." He says as he glances over at Starlight.

"The fact that they didn't have anything else to believe is a bigger problem." Bryan says, stepping forward and becoming the voice of the room as he crosses his arms, and his stern features scan over the room. "One's close to her thirties and one is in her thirties, which says nothing of the samurai."

At any other time, I'd have laughed at the way Noir's head snapped to the side in visible irritation at being called a samurai.

Again.

"They've been told all their lives that they were born with these powers, and I'd assume that includes the parents. Either the parents are lying, or someone's lied to them."

That's a… very disturbing concept.

What scares me is the dark looks that come over everyone when he says it. Not just sad, or despondent, or angry looks.

No, what scares me is how they're all given with a look of solemn agreement.

"At this point, Vought can't surprise me." Oh, you have no idea John. Homelander isn't everything the company has done, even if he is the worst thing.

"Well, that does take us back to the mission, at least." Alex says, effectively silencing that particular discussion for now. "Clearly, there's something Vought still isn't sharing, but we can find that out later. We did get some useful information from Edgar as compensation for your injuries."

"Alright, what'd we get?"

"Well, first off, we're all wrong about one thing." Alex says with a weird look as he turns around and silently makes his way to the occupied keyboard. He comes to a stop behind the two kids who are lost in the files still on the screen, and quickly clears his throat. "James, Shiela."

The two immediately turn to him, before seperating and allowing him to move to the podium and begin typing away at it.

A few seconds later, a picture of a boy with long blonde hair pops up on the screen. He can't be any older than eight, maybe nine.

"This is Ryan." Alex says as he backs away from the keyboard as we all study the picture. "Ryan is a superhuman being held at a secure facility where he is being raised by his mother." He explains as he turns his gaze back to us. "He's ignorant to this setup."

"What, they're keeping him sheltered from everything?" Rachel guesses as she steps forward, narrowing her eyes as she begins to study the picture closer.

The kid… he looks so much like Homelander.

"Yes." Alex answers without fail, before turning to John. "New mission. Ready for your briefing?" He asks with another faint smile.

John eyes the picture for a moment… before turning back to Commander Dickhead with a smile on his face.

"Bring it on."

"You'll be playing nanny, in a sense." Alex begins the proper briefing, while John stands straight and goes back to studying the picture as he hangs onto every word. "It's danger-free, as the place is top secret and known by barely anybody outside of Vought's grunt force and high clearance staff. However, the mission is still considered high priority due to the circumstances."

"Is he Homelander's son?" John asks immediately.

To my horror, Alex nods.

"And here's the kicker- he was born with his abilities." Well, that suddenly makes the entire conversation we just had feel completely useless.

"How's that possible?" John immediately asks, uncrossing his arms and stepping up next to Alex. His voice isn't filled with disbelief, wonder, or anything else other than a drive for information.

"No idea, another reason why I'm sending you." Commander Dickhead responds, glancing back at the picture for himself. "That makes it clear that there's still more to Homelander than we know, but we don't hold that information right now. You remain my strongest soldier, and now you're even more powerful. I don't expect you to try and solve all the mysteries, leave that to me and everyone else, but I do expect you to watch over the kid."

"As should be expected." John points out. "Mom's name?"

When Alex stays quiet, John looks over at him in confusion.

"Becca Butcher." He answers, looking at John with a raised eyebrow.

John's eyes go wide at that, and he slowly turns to Alex with a stiff look on his face.

"Butcher? As in Billy Butcher? The same Billy Butcher that threatened Maddie?" Each and every question receives a nod in response, and John lets an aggravated sigh escape him. "Well, that explains some things, actually."

Yeah, it does.

So, Miss Butcher got hot and heavy with Homelander, huh? Damn, no wonder the guy wants to bring down Vought.

"It wasn't consensual, if that's what you're wondering."

"I could've guessed that." The glare John gives Alex actually makes the normally composed man flinch.

Yeah… might've been a bad time to mention that.

After a few seconds of glaring, John shakes his head with a sigh as he drags his hand down his face. "Look, Alex, any other time I would." Well, that doesn't sound good. "But I'll be straight with you, I need to focus on Maddie right now."

"Yet another reason why I've chosen this task." Alex says, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to get his meaning.

"You're suggesting Maddie come with me?" John asks, incredulous as he turns back to facing Commander Dickhead. "Are you serious?"

Alex returns to the stare for a few seconds, before his blank features relax and he allows a weary look to come across her face.

"I am aware of what my actions have led to." He says, turning back to John and relaxing as he does so. "There's no Homelander on this mission. There's no fighting, no danger. Quite simply, you just have to live with them and that's it."

"Is Vought involved?"

Okay, come on John, even I know that's just an outright stupid question.

Some Alex doesn't hesitate to convey with the look on his face.

"Okay, so… what makes you think Maddie needs to be anywhere near Vought right now?"

"If it makes you feel better, you've been given complete command of the entire facility." Well, that does surprise me, and it's clear it surprises everyone else too. "Staff have been instructed to listen to any and all orders you give so long as they don't conflict with mine, meaning that any of you can leave and return at any time you want."

So they aren't trapped. That's good at least.

John still doesn't look too eager… but after a few moments he sighs.

"Maddie gets final say, not me." John says, turning to Alex with a firm expression. "I'm sorry, but if she says no, I can't on this one."

Alex lets a sigh of disappointment escape him at John's less than desired response. Despite that, there's a look of understanding on his face when he nods his head.

"I'll talk to her." Alex says, causing John's eyes to widen in surprise. "I'm the one giving the mission, I'm the one who needs to tell her."

John stands rooted in his spot… before he gives in, and a sigh escapes him.

"I'm still going with you." John says, and I have no doubt about that as he immediately spins on his heal and begins walking out of the room.

Alex raises an eyebrow, before a huff of amusement escapes him as he follows the kid.

Although… he does pause at the door, bringing his hand up and pressing on of twenty different buttons on a massive control panel.

A second later, I hear the actual children groan in disappointment, and I turn my head and get to see the wonderful sight of the now blank monitors.

Alex turns around with a genuine look of amusement on his face, and John returns to the doorway next to him with a baffled smile of his own.

"What the hell did you two do?" Bryan immediately asks, that cracked-tooth smile on his face as he looks at the two with an amused expression on his face.

"James did it!" Shiela immediately blames her brother, and I can't stop the smile on my face as the two devolve into a sibling argument.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Neither of you are reading restricted files." Alex casually reveals their crime as he raises an eyebrow. Despite that, he lets a small, amused smile be seen as he looks at the now sheepish kids. "... maybe in ten years."

Huh. So he can tell jokes.

I was starting to wonder…

John lets out a chuckle and shakes his head in amusement as the two turn and leave the room, and everyone else kind of just disperses and does their own thing.

Which means I get to lean back against the wall and think about the fact that my parents probably lied to me. Hell, I already knew they were shit, but jesus…

I was fucked from day one.

Not to mention Vought spreads this shit. Gets people to believe it.

Fuck… makes you wonder how many of us actually did earn their powers. Holy shit.

I feel like it's weird. I've never given a damn before about if I actually deserved my powers… but now I'm wondering if I ever did anything to deserve them.

Huh. Things you learn.