"Did I really beco a superhero that day?" Hughie muttered, staring at the faint needle mark on his left arm. He rembered waking up and imdiately calling Frenchie and the others to ask what the hell had happened.
Frenchie had gone on and on about how badass Hughie was that night, saying he’d earned serious respect. But to Hughie, the whole thing felt completely alien.
"Looks like that mysterious guy was right. Once the stuff wears off, you lose the mories."
Hughie raised his left hand toward the skylight. Sunlight slipped through his fingers and hit his face, making him squint. That feeling of raw power had only lasted a short ti, but it was impossible to forget. "Life isn’t over. The mission continues."
Even though Butcher’s whereabouts were still unknown, Hughie hadn’t stopped moving. His plan was the sa as Butcher’s — gather every scrap of dirt on Compound V and expose Vought’s cris to the world.
After washing up, Hughie walked through the dark hallway to the hidden basent where the group was holed up.
When they were being hunted with nowhere to go, Frenchie had used his criminal contacts to find this secret underground spot.
These days, Frenchie was back to his old business — dealing guns. Honestly, if he wasn’t making money by modifying and repairing firearms for gangsters, they’d all be starving.
Kimiko was doing fine. She acted as Frenchie’s bodyguard and actually seed pretty content. Maybe this quiet, simple life was exactly what she had always wanted.
Mother’s Milk was managing too. Thanks to his experience as an Army dic, he had decent surgical skills and made money patching up gunshot wounds for local criminals.
That left Hughie as the only one without any useful skills to contribute. He mostly just wandered around the basent every day looking bored as hell.
"Was it really who saved you guys?" Hughie asked, leaning on the table next to Frenchie while he assembled a gun.
Frenchie glanced at him. "That’s the seventh ti you’ve asked. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe the guy who ca to rescue us that night was you."
"Damn, too bad I can’t rember. I bet I looked fucking cool doing it," Hughie said with a shrug and a laugh as he walked out of the basent. Towering behind him in the distance was Vought Tower.
That’s right — they were hiding literally right under Vought’s nose.
What Frenchie and the others didn’t know was that Hughie was still secretly in contact with Starlight. Following their usual routine, he got on a bus and sat next to her.
"Did you break the SIM card in that burner phone? You know I’m wanted by the CIA. They’re probably tapping everything," Hughie whispered.
After Starlight confird she’d snapped the card, Hughie finally relaxed. "By the way, can you get a sample of that stuff from Vought?"
"No way. Ever since Edgar got serious again and took over as CEO, security around it has been insane. Even I can’t get close to the main lab, let alone steal a sample," Starlight shook her head and replied quietly.
"I heard after Madeline died, so guy nad Greevs took her place. What’s he like? Any chance we can turn him?" Hughie asked, pulling his cap lower while subtly scanning their surroundings for anyone suspicious.
The mont Starlight heard Ivan’s na, her face turned cold. She barely held back her anger. "He’s a complete piece of shit. Compared to him, Holander looks like a fucking saint."
"Guess we can’t count on him then." Hughie pulled out a folder he’d worked hard to get. "This is the file on a research scientist. Maybe you can get the stuff from him."
While the two of them plotted ways to steal Compound V...
...
Edgar had approved Holander’s request and brought Ashley back to Vought.
For certain reasons, Ivan had chosen not to move into Madeline’s old office.
He couldn’t stand the sight of Holander standing in front of that door like a lost puppy eight hundred tis a day, staring at it with those sad fucking eyes.
This ti, though, Holander went inside. He looked around. So of the furniture was already gone, and a thick layer of dust covered Madeline’s old desk.
Fighting back his grief, Holander opened the mini-fridge and took out a bottle of breast milk.
He unscrewed the cap, inhaled the scent greedily, then carefully stuck out his tongue to lick it. A mont later, he started gulping it down.
Right then, Ashley — who had rushed over the second she got the call — pushed open the office door.
Caught in the act, Holander quickly turned his back and wiped the milk from his lips.
"Ashley, so good to see you back," Holander said casually, pretending nothing had happened as he inspected the room.
"Thank you. This place definitely needs a remodel. It’s covered in dust. Feels like I ti-traveled back to 2003," Ashley replied, clearly excited to be back at Vought. She knew she owed it all to Holander.
While she was thanking him...
...
In the CEO’s office on the 87th floor, Edgar had called Ivan in again.
"You handled that video of Madeline very well," Edgar said. "The reason I called you here is to address the current issues with The Seven. We’ve lost Translucent permanently and A-Train is still unconscious. That’s two mbers down." Edgar slid a file across the desk to Ivan. "From the market feedback, it’s clear The Seven desperately needs fresh blood."
"That’s correct, Mr. Edgar. But the selection process for new supes should be handled by Ashley. She just returned to Vought. It wouldn’t be right for to steal her responsibilities," Ivan said. As acting vice president, he spoke with a bit more casual confidence than before.
"Co in."
Edgar raised his phone to his ear.
Monts later, Stormfront walked into the office wearing her black tactical suit and stopped beside Edgar.
"Let introduce you. This is Stormfront, the newest mber of The Seven."
"I’m Ivan Greevs. Nice to et you. Welco to The Seven," Ivan said, extending his right hand.
Stormfront sneered and ignored it. "Sorry, I don’t shake hands with Frenchn. I can never be sure where those hands have been."
Ivan’s expression turned ice-cold in an instant. He pulled his hand back and looked at Edgar. "Looks like your new mber lacks basic manners. Better let Ashley deal with her. I have other matters to attend to. My apologies, Mr. Edgar."
Without waiting for a reply, Ivan turned and walked out of the CEO’s office.
___
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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69
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