— Some Time Later, General POV —
"We have all gathered here today to say our goodbyes to Madelyn, a beloved mother, and… a dear friend." Homelander said as he looked down at the people gathered at Madelyn Stillwell's funereal. "I am sorry to see you go Madelyn… but I hope when you look down at us we can make you proud."
A mad man named William Butcher broke into her house, forced her to wear a C4 vest- presumably by threatening her newborn- and then blew her up.
Luckily, her baby miraculously survived, however, the man responsible for this tragedy was at large.
I didn't really know Stillwell that well, only met her once, but she seemed pleasant enough- as far as blood sucking business women were concerned that is.
Regardless, I decided to come to her funeral since she was cordial with me, and Ashley- Stillwell's former assistant and now replacement- had personally invited me.
Lots of people then went to Homelander to give him their condolences, these two had known each other for decades.
"I am sorry for your loss." I told the man as I shook the man's hand. The man in question took my hand and gave it a good squeeze to the point I winced.
"Thank you." Homelander said with a large grin before I nodded my head and walked away.
As I walked away, I could still feel the man's gaze on me.
I just shook my head and assumed it was just my imagination.
My eyes then wandered around. All the members of the Seven were here- excluding Translucent who apparently lost his life in line of duty, and the Deep who pretty much fucked up his career by sticking his dick into a mid blonde.
I took an extra moment looking at Queen Maeve, this woman was the closest thing to Wonder Woman this world had, and I had a little crush on her.
'At least I used to.' I thought as I looked to my right and saw Cate standing next to me, wearing all black, including gloves.
"Hey Cate, I think we should get going." I said to her, she looked around for a moment as well,
"Alright, I'll just say goodbye to Dean Shetty," she said and I gave a nod. "I'll say goodbye to Luke then,"
I then walked towards Luke and Andre… these two were almost always together, if I didn't know better I would assume the two were a couple, "Hey guys." I greeted them,
"Hey," Luke said and Andre gave a nod.
"Did you two know Ms Stillwell?" I asked
"No, but my father was friends with her." Andre said and I nodded. "You?"
"Met her once. She seemed like a nice person. Definitely didn't deserve what happened to her. Anyways, Cate and I are going to get going. It was nice seeing you two, despite the circumstances. We should do something outside of school sometime."
"That would be great," Luke said with a smile. There was a small tension between Andre and I since the Flight 37 fiasco, and I was reaching out- or he thought.
"Great, it can be a double date." I said before walking away, causing the two teens to look at each other and then glare at me.
"I told you he was an asshole."
— A Few More Days Later, Dean Shetty's Office, General POV —
Professor Brink and Dean Shetty had called Luke Riordan to discuss an opportunity with him.
"The world is no longer as simple as it was a couple of days ago. The biggest threat to America- to the World isn't a few guys with guns, there are now Super Terrorists." Brink told Luke, "We need you guys to be better than ever before."
Luke nods his head, "I know… I have been training as hard as I could, but- it's just Adem has been improving much faster than me." He admitted. "Don't know if I can keep up with him,"
"That is exactly why we called you here." Dean Shetty said "There is a new- experimental procedure. Our best and brightest have developed a model that can improve a Super Ableds abilities. And according to the initial tests, you are the perfect Supe to enhance."
"What?!" Luke asked "You want to experiment on me?"
"We want to make you better!" Brink clarified. "Remember when I first came to your home, told you that you can be bigger than Homelander? This is your shot. With it you can not only keep up with Adem, but potentially be stronger than him!"
"What- What kind of an experiment is it?" Luke asked and both Brink and Shetty internally smiled.
"Physically, it is nearly non-invasive. However, we will need to administer it to you weekly for over a four year period. And while we are doing so, we will have to knock you unconscious." Brink said
"How would you do that? I mean, I might not be Nigh-Invulnerable, but I am pretty damn close," Luke said, "And due to my powers my body temperature is too high for drugs to affect me properly."
"Don't worry. We already figured it out. Your classmate, Cate, has agreed to help you prepare for the procedure every week."
Luke nods at that. It made sense to him.
"Can I- Can I think about it?" He asked at the end,
"Of course you can. However we are on a timeline, so I can only give you until the end of the week before we approach Adem about this opportunity." Brink said, causing Luke's eyes to widen,
"So he can grow even stronger?!" Luke asked
"Of course. We are hoping you both can reach your full potential as the two most promising students of your generation. And if you won't take the opportunity, we will be giving it to him." Dean Shetty said matter of factly.
"Fi- Fine. I'll let you know about my decision by the end of the week." Luke said as he got out of his seat and slowly exited the office.
Once he did, Brink spoke up. "He took the bait."
"That he did…" Dean Shetty nods her head
"Will Cate play ball? You have to reveal Sam, she will have to see what is happening to him. And she will have to manipulate both of them and lie to Adem about it on top of everything."
"I have managed to convince Cate in our therapy sessions this is the best course of action for Adem to reach his full potential. That competition with Luke will push him further. And without it, he will never be the Next Homelander."
"And I pray to god for that."