A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry again for the long wait, I wanted to focus on other fanfics for a bit. My Deltarune fic is still my priority tbh, but I'll try and post chapters for this fic as well. Thanks as always for reading!

Hughie sighed. He hadn't even got a crumb, and somehow Ihwa had already eaten all of the pastries. She was like a bottomless pit.

Even worse, she was holding a fat wad of cash that Butcher had insisted that they 'share'. Good luck with that. Hughie was lucky if she even gave him a penny.

Whatever, not that Hughie was in it for the money. If he was, he would've just taken the $20,000 cash deal from Vought all that time ago.

He stared out of the window; the train clacked along the tracks, the fields and cities outside blurring into a splash of colours.

He took a deep breath. This was fine. This was okay. He could do this.

He stared at Ihwa, who just stared back at him. Thanks to her red eyes, it always felt like her gaze was boring right into his soul.

"So," he began. "Um…"

(Yeah, this wasn't going very well.)

"What?" Ihwa asked.

"Are you… uh, nervous?" Hughie asked.

"No," Ihwa said.

"That's, uh, good," Hughie said. "I'm pretty… pretty nervous."

"Well, you are a normie," Ihwa said.

"That doesn't mean us normies can't be heroes," Hughie muttered. "I mean, some Supes have pretty lame powers. Not much different from being a normie. Right?"

Ah, who was he kidding. He wasn't really here to be a hero. He was here to keep an eye on Ihwa. Then again, if she began going haywire, was there really anything he could do?

He began, "well-"

"Dear passengers, we hope you're having a pleasant ride…"

Hughie looked around. "Uhhh-"

"We regret to inform you that from this moment on, the Victoria express," the intercom continued, "is now under the control of Vendetta. We want only one thing: the hero Bare Knuckles. Turn him in, or lose your lives."

So much for a peaceful train ride…

A group of criminals were storming through the carriage, wielding guns. Hughie hid under the table.

"Put your hands on your head and get down!" they shouted.

Ihwa stood up.

"Hey, get down!" Hughie hissed. "Ihwa!"

She promptly ignored him, walking over to the criminals.

The criminal held out her gun. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Hero Ki…" Ihwa trailed off. Suddenly, her tone completely shifted. "No… I'm an aspiring hero!"

Oh my god… Hughie thought. We're in for it now.

Homelander sat and watched the plane fall, crashing into the earth, killing everyone in an instant. He smiled, satisfied.

Queen Maeve had already taken off, distressed and shaking herself out of her stupor. So the country's number one hero was alone, tilting his head, smoke pouring into the air. Flesh cooked and burned.

"Such a wonderful sight."

Homelander looked up. Of course, it was his dear twin sister Victoria. She sat next to him, eyes focused on the flickering flames.

"The poor mayor," Homelander sighed. "This is all his fault."

Victoria just chuckled. She pulled out a metal box. It smelled of rotting flesh and scrawled on top were the words, COMING FOR YOU.

"Things are getting interesting," Victoria said.

"Is that what you think?" Homelander sneered. "Vigilantes running around? Trying to threaten everything we've worked for?"

"Life's no fun without a little challenge," Victoria assured him, "and it's even better when we come out victorious. We'll get on top of them all, like the champions we are."

Homelander grinned at his sister. "You always know the right things to say."

"Of course," she told him, eyes glinting. "Nobody knows you better than me."

She was right. Although he engaged sexually with Stillwell many times, she didn't truly understand him, not like Victoria. That was a bond that ran deeper than even blood itself.

Victoria held out a hand. "Come on, John. The press conference waits."

Kimiko Miyashiro hadn't used her name in years. It was foreign to her. Everything was foreign to her now; the clothes she wore, the voices around her, the hands grabbing her…

No, she was simply The Female, a brutal, dangerous killer. Whatever happened in the past no longer mattered. She was alone, in a cold, empty building.

She was lucky she had brother with her, at least. He was the only thing left remaining from her past. They spoke in sign language, a way of keeping their conversation secret from outsiders. Plus, she couldn't talk. Not anymore.

Of course, they were split up, and she was on her own again, locked away in a cage like a cursed secret, ready to be used and abused once again.

Then everything changed when the Nameless showed up.

There was a man standing before her. He was huge, but his eyes were gentle, and he offered a hand.

Kimiko backed up. She approached the wall, baring her teeth. The man didn't seem intimidated, though. He simply stayed there, that gentle look remaining on his face.

"So Chain was right," said another voice.

A man with a scar entered the room. Following him were two others: a woman with pigtails and a man with a gas mask.

Kimiko stood up. Fear built up inside her. She was not getting taken away by more people. Not a chance.

"Relax," said the scarred man. "We're not here to hurt you. You've been through enough. In fact…" he smiled. "We can help reunite you with your brother."

Kimiko stared from him, to the huge man, who gave her an assuring nod. She crept slightly closer.

"We are the Nameless," said the scarred man. "I'm Engen, this is John Nash, Rachel, and Vector. We do have another member, but she's still a bit stuck with Vought."

Kimiko tilted her head.

"They call you The Female," Engen continued. "A terrible name. Surely, you have a better one, right?"

Kimiko began signing. Engen looked curious. He turned to John Nash.

"She says it doesn't matter," he said. "She wants to know where her brother is… and whatever you're planning for the two of them."

"Well," Engen said, "there's a very powerful and dangerous man. His name is Reagan Sinclair. Rachel here is much more familiar with him, I'll admit."

Rachel nodded, grinning wide. "Yep! He owns a ton of land. Land where he keeps people for… experiments."

Kimiko began signing once more. John was about to translate, but Rachel was already talking.

"You got it," she said, "that's where they're keeping your brother."

"Is that it?"

Engen turned his head. His grin widened, as none other than the Boys walked in.

"Sorry, Scarface," Billy Butcher said, "but the little lady's coming with us."