Chapter 13
Through heavy blinks glowing rays of white lights assault the eyes only interrupted by a dark pixelated shape that was slowly getting bigger and bigger.
Muffled sounds reach the ears and as the head moves and feeling returns there is a realization of a pressure surrounding the mouth and nose, a mask covering the face.
The right hand shoots to remove the obstructing device but the shadowy figure stops it.
"No, no not yet Reina, it will help you wake up!"
The words barely register but with each blink the image comes into focus and with each breath she feels energy coursing through her veins.
It only takes her a moment to regain her strength and her hand shoots to grab the wrist of the now visible man in green scrubs pressing the mask on her face.
"AH!" The man screamed and tried to jerk it out of her vice like grip. "Please stop Maeve you're hurting me! Please stop!"
With enough energy regained her upper body shoots up throwing the mask off, looking wildly around.
"Who are you? Where am I?" she asked the almost whimpering man.
"Reina, please! You're hurting me! We're in Vought tower, medical floor, 72!" He said through labored breaths that only worked to accentuate his Spanish accent.
She released the man's wrist which he immediately jerks close to him letting out a huge breath.
"I'm Carlo, Carlo Perez, your nurse." He said regaining his breath.
Maeve looked at him confused and then looked around at the setup of the room resembling a hospital room equipped with various machines some hooked up with stickies to her, monitoring her condition.
"What happened?" She asked uncertain which drew a brief look of confusion on Carlo.
"You don't remember? You had an accident fighting, you and Mr. Homelander."
As soon as the words left his mouth a rush of images and memories flooded her mind. "He hit you hard on the head and broke your ribs, big mess."
Her hand went to her head as if bracing herself to better withstand the memory.
They were sparring, her body remember each blow was heavy, the pain reverberating like thunder striking. They were moving fast, faster than she'd moved before and then pain in her gut like a shock, her breath was gone and pain in the side of her head.
"What happened after…the fight…how badly was I hurt? Why can't I remember anything?"
"Ah, si…it was pretty bad, the sternum, ribs were broken and bruised organs but those healed up in two days no problem it was the blow to the head, they had to put you in a coma for a few days."
"Coma?"
"Si, cracked cranium, big bruise on the temple. There was a big fight between Dr. Schiffler and Ferrelli on whether they should try to cut you open" At his words Maeve's eyes went wide and her hand went to her head, everything felt normal "to let the brain swell just in case but Dr. Schultz agreed with Dr. Ferrelli and they only put you in a coma and treat you with ice and anti-inflammatory medication."
"How long have I been out?"
"Five days, Reina you were supposed to be woken up yesterday but the doctors were all busy…short-staffed not many people wanted to come in because of the contamination…the radiation and the damage to the building."
Maeve looked even more confused.
"Ah, right, before your accident you remember the midtown terrorist?" Her eyes widened in realization, Soldier Boy.
"Turns out it was Soldier Boy, come back from the dead. He was killing supers, wanted to take down the company and the government for betraying him or something. He and Mr. Homelander had a big fight, big mess, top of the building is destroyed, radiation warning for our block." Maeve listened to his words sharply though she felt as if he was talking about another world.
"The 50th floor where the studio is and ten floors below and above are closed off, they say the radiation is the highest there. Some of the buildings around us got hit pretty bad, they evacuated the most of them."
Maeve almost not believing what she was hearing stood and in a daze went to the bright windows and looked out at the surrounding skyscrapers.
Devastation.
Tops looked like they had been wrecked by a bulldozer, steel beams sticking out, cement dripping and smoke rising from the hidden fires.
She saw Carlo shake his head in sorrow "Many died, were working late and from the building materials falling on the street." He paused briefly. "They offered us big bonus to come in, the doctors were desperate, said our building was secure."
As her eyes wondered from building scanning the damage of what she could only assume was a hard fight she caught a blob of dark on the ground. Her eyes shifted course and focused there only to realize it was a large gathering of people.
"What's happening down there, why is that mob of people gathered here?" She asked the middle aged nurse who joined her by the window.
"Oh, Miss Ashley call them, they come to support Senor Homelander."
Maeve looked at him, her features frowning in confusion.
"She say Homelander fought Soldier Boy and push him into space to save the city. They say he fell down in a ball of fire like a falling angel." Carlo paused.
A spike of emotion surged within Maeve.
"The government they came, try to take him away…he, was hurt very badly" His tone started to get soft "…I only saw him briefly in the operating room…it was bad Reina, very bad" he said solemnly.
Could this be it? Could this be the end of Homelander? The cocktail of emotions being released made her anxious and hopeful.
"And the government" his voice rising in anger "the CIA, NSA or FBI, you know those agent types" he said with disgust "those Pendjos they try to take him when he's weak, they came with guns, armed to the teeth…they try to take him like he's the criminal! Like he didn't just save New York"
Maeve saw Carlo slightly turn is head and mutter some Spanish under his breath then as if realizing who he was talking to caught a hold of himself.
"What happened to him? Where is he?" She asked suddenly agitated.
"Don't worry Reina, it didn't work. The heroes they banded together and stopped them." He said with a small smile.
"Miss Ashley and El Noir rallied them and stopped the agents. They say the agents came all the way to the operating room but El Noir beat all of them back to outside the building then Miss Ashley she sent out the call on the internet and the people came to protest them. They've been outside ever since." He said his smile bigger than before.
"And Homelander? What happened where is he? Is he ok? " The anxiety was surging more now.
Carlo's face turned solemn again. "We don't know Reina. He's been on the floor above, the doctors were with him for the past day. Dr. Schultz and Miss Ashley won't let anyone in, El Noir is keeping guard. Miss Starlight, El Rapido and Deep are with the others outside making sure the agents don't try again."
She looked at Carlo, the anxiety and anticipation was too much she needed to find out.
Briskly she turned around and bolted for the door.
"Reina! Reina!"
She heard the confused shouts of the nurse but she didn't bother turning back, he heart was thumping. She needed to see him…she needed to see if she could end this. This may be her only chance…while he was weak.
She burst through the stairwell door and leapt the whole flight in one go and then did it again for the second. Her frantic strength almost ripped the handles off the doorway and she paused briefly to get her bearings in the hallways.
She rushed to her right and turned left where she was half way through the hallway Noir standing in front of a double set of doors.
Her gaze briefly met his mask and with anxious conviction she strode towards him. His right hand lifted up in a stop sign.
"Move or I'll break every bone in your body!" she commanded.
She could take him, she thought, she could overpower him, it wouldn't be easy but she'd done it once before.
Maeve prepared herself to pick up speed as Noir settled into a defensive stance.
This was it!
Her body dropped slightly ready to rush him but her momentum was stopped by the squeak of the door behind him.
As she briefly stopped to asses those coming out her anxious ness turned to her surprise into shock.
First there was someone in a white lab coat she didn't recognize then followed Dr. Schultz but they weren't what shocked her that was the third person behind them.
White bandages around his head covering his right eye, his right cheek riddled with grotesque red wavy scarred skin, obvious sign that something or in this case someone had managed to melt part of his face off.
The scarring extended down to the bottom of his neck where another set of bandages could be seen encompassing his torso under the all too large hospital gown.
She could only stare in shock at the state of Homelander as he briskly walked past Noir towards her and promptly grabbed her in a bear hug, though she noticed the bandaged up right hand was barely squeezing and seemed all too skinny to be one that knocked her brains around just a few days ago.
"Maeve! I'm so glad you're here!" John said loudly.
He was followed by a chorus of voices, that in the few seconds she was taken by his appearance had multiplied to more people like Ashley, her assistant and a few others, all saying her name and agreeing with Homelander.
She had come here for a purpose but realizing the moment had come and gone Maeve did the only thing she could.
What surprised her was the felling calm emptiness that was filling her up with each breath as she reciprocated the embrace and even resting her head on his shoulders in resignation.
John was smiling.
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AN: Here is part of the aftermath. There will be a Homelander pov as well.
As I said in the last chapter I will be having time skips starting soon but don't worry I will post the date at the beginning of each chapter or scene where it's required.
Let me know what you think about the implied aftermath actions of Vought, the government and the heroes and if it makes sense within the context of the story so far.
In the show the CIA gets Soldier Boy back which I think is pretty stupid for Homelander to let happen.
Also sorry for the terrible Spanish.
Carlo Perez is a nurse working for Vought for the last decade and a half, he is in his late forties and the events are meant to be from how he perceives them from the limited information that he has.
Once again thank you for reading.