Inside the office, Vought Vice President Madeline scanned the PR plan Ashley had handed her, then gave a satisfied nod.
"This your idea? Doesn't look like your usual style, but it's damn good. Roll it out as fast as you can."
"It was Ivan Greevs' idea. The security guy from downstairs. Man's a PR genius."
Ashley didn't hold back on the praise.
"If this works, I'll give him more responsibility. Vought never forgets employees who deliver."
As soon as she left Madeline's office, Ashley got to work.
She tracked down Starlight first. "Good news. I got the full uncut video of the whole thing. It'll clear your name. But before we drop it, you do exactly what I say. Got it, princess? This is your last fucking chance. No more screw-ups. Understood?"
"Yes. I'll do whatever you tell me," Starlight said, forcing down the rush of relief. She let out a shaky breath.
Thank God. The worst hadn't happened.
...
Meanwhile, Homelander hovered high above Jersey City, red-white-and-blue cape snapping in the wind as he stared down at the streets.
It didn't take him long to zero in on the zone where Translucent had gone dark.
Down below, Butcher, Frenchie, and Hughie were in a van when they spotted the red-and-blue blur diving from the sky.
"Shit, he actually came," Frenchie hissed, heart hammering so hard it felt like two hundred beats a minute.
"Stay calm, lads," Butcher growled. "We've already cleaned up everything we needed to. Don't twitch. If Homelander smells fear, we're fucking dead. Breathe."
All three sucked in deep breaths at the same time.
They had no idea that little move just saved their lives.
Homelander only glanced at the van for a couple seconds before he shot toward the abandoned diner.
Not many things could block his x-ray vision. And right now, something in that shitty diner was doing exactly that.
Therefore, it was the most suspicious spot.
"Fuck me, he didn't even notice me," Hughie said, stunned.
"He's a supe. Why the hell would he pay attention to little shits like us?" Butcher replied. He pulled the cap off his face, stuck his head out the van window, and watched Homelander fly off.
Butcher started counting down in his head, thumb resting on the detonator in his hand.
...
Bang!
Homelander ripped the metal door off the walk-in freezer like it was cardboard and tossed it aside. Inside, he found Translucent's body wrapped tight in zinc sheets.
His eyes flared red. Two searing laser beams sliced into the metal. The temperature in the freezer spiked instantly. Where the lasers hit, the zinc glowed white-hot.
The zinc split open.
Translucent's naked corpse spilled out.
Homelander's face turned to stone. He stepped closer.
Suddenly he threw his right arm up in front of his face.
A muffled thump. Then the bomb buried deep in Translucent's asshole detonated. Boom!
The body exploded into red mist. Chunks of meat and blood sprayed everywhere, painting the walls, ceiling, and Homelander from head to toe.
When he lowered his arm, his spotless uniform was absolutely drenched in gore.
But Butcher wasn't done. Two incendiary charges went off next. Gasoline ignited in a roaring blaze that swallowed the entire room in seconds.
"FUCK YOU!"
A furious roar shook the building.
A red-and-blue blur smashed through layers of concrete and burst out through the roof, hovering in the sky.
Homelander's eyes burned with pure rage. Twin lasers ripped down, carving the abandoned diner into smoking rubble in seconds.
Meanwhile, the van was already speeding down the road back toward New York. Hughie twisted around in his seat at the sound of the explosion and grinned like a maniac.
"That might've actually killed the bastard."
"If Homelander could be blown up that easily, I wouldn't waste my time digging up dirt on the supes. I'd just bomb the lot of them." Butcher gave a cold laugh, then his face split into a nasty, satisfied grin. "Still… I bet the cunt really enjoyed the present I left him."
...
The next day, with PR working overtime, the internet narrative shifted exactly the way Ivan had planned.
Then Ashley dropped the full uncut video.
At the same time, the girl from the alley came forward with a tearful thank-you, and the three thugs released statements admitting they'd lied through their teeth.
The combo hit like a sledgehammer. Public opinion flipped overnight. Suddenly thousands of "good-hearted" netizens crawled out of the woodwork to defend Starlight.
Her follower count on Twitter skyrocketed past twenty-three million and kept climbing. Female fans poured in, and a ton of male ones too.
Starlight got summoned to Madeline's office.
"Please, sit," Madeline said with a warm smile.
"Is it… fixed?" Starlight asked carefully.
"Fixed perfectly."
Even Madeline was surprised at how well it worked. After the brutal online hate storm, women, kids, and old people all over the country were now falling over themselves to sympathize with Starlight.
Her popularity inside the Seven had shot straight to the top.
Ashley, sipping her coffee on the side, added, "Your approval ratings are climbing in every state. People love that you stepped in to protect a woman from scumbags. But what really sealed it was the 'American spirit' angle. Even when you were breaking down, you kept doing charity work. The guys eat that up. The women love it too."
After that, Ashley presented Starlight with the new costume.
Starlight stared at the skimpy outfit that looked more like expensive lingerie than a superhero suit and immediately shook her head. "No. I can't wear that."
"It's bold, brave, strong. This suit perfectly embodies your feminist journey," Ashley pushed. "Most importantly, it tells the story of how you've transformed."
Starlight still refused. "I think I have the right to say no."
"You do have the right," Madeline said with a sweet smile. "We just don't need anyone in the Seven who exercises that right."
The naked threat hung in the air. Starlight stared at the tiny costume, trapped between fury and fear as she wrestled with herself.
---
Meanwhile.
Ivan had done some digging. Vought sold Compound V to the U.S. government for two million dollars per dose. No exceptions.
If he wanted some for himself, he'd have to get creative.
His eyes drifted to the TV where a promo for the upcoming race was playing.
"A-Train versus Shockwave. The big question: could A-Train defend his title as "The World's Fastest Man"?"
___
[]~(￣▽￣)~*
Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69