Brooklyn, New York, in a dimly lit basent.
The sll of smoke, motor oil, and old newspapers mingled with the damp, musty air.
Butcher leaned against the wall.
An unlit cigarette hung from his mouth. His arms were folded across his chest as he silently stared at the few sheets of paper on the table.
"I still think we should consider bringing in Soldier Boy."
Hughie sat on a folding chair across from the pool table, gesturing with both hands.
"I an, he saved my girlfriend right in front of . He could’ve just ignored it, but when A-Train ca charging over, he grabbed a bucket of oil and went straight in. That wasn’t for show, Butcher. That was real. He might actually be a real superhero."
"A real superhero?"
Billy Butcher took the cigarette from his mouth and held it between his fingers.
"Listen to yourself, Hughie. Soldier Boy is Holander’s dad. His biological father. The whole damn country knows it. And Holander, you’re saying we should recruit Holander’s own father to take down Holander?"
He put the cigarette back in his mouth and gave a cold laugh.
"Fine. You go ask him first if he’s willing to beat the shit out of his own son for a few sewer rats like us. I’ll be right here waiting for the good news."
After all, this Butcher was different from the one in the original story. Back then, Butcher t Soldier Boy first and only learned about the father-son connection afterward. Even after Soldier Boy found out Holander was his son, he still ant to kill him.
But things were different now. Soldier Boy cared about Holander, and the whole country knew it.
"Okay."
Hughie’s voice dropped.
"I just think Soldier Boy isn’t really a bad guy. The way Vought treated him today... attacked by people sent by his own company, betrayed by his forr teammates. Anyone would hate Vought after that... Maybe Vought really will change because of him."
Butcher stared at Hughie like he was looking at a kid who had just wandered out of a fairy tale.
"You think those bloody superheroes are going to change? Jesus fuck, you really are that naive. Don’t start thinking Soldier Boy is so good guy just because he saved your girlfriend. Truth is, there isn’t a single good Supe out there. Every Supe, once they have power, ends up doing evil. It’s not that they choose to be evil. Power itself makes them evil. That’s fucking human nature. That’s why there shouldn’t be any Supes in this world. Not one. And why don’t you ask Mother’s Milk? His family died horribly because of Soldier Boy!"
"You’re too extre, Butcher..."
Hughie lifted his head, wanting to argue, but in the end, he only sighed.
Robin was still alive. Every morning, she still ca to the shop to bring him coffee, and she still teased him for putting an extra spoonful of sugar in his tea.
He should have felt lucky. He should have been grateful. He should have forgotten all about Supes and A-Train.
But he had not. Hughie still took Butcher’s card, still sat in this basent, still stared at the pile of evidence against Vought in a daze.
Even he did not know why he had co.
Maybe it was because, deep down, he felt that so of what Butcher said about Supes was true, but not all of it...
"Maybe that female Supe is a victim."
Frenchie leaned against the pool table. "Vought’s files say she lost control after being injected with Compound V. She didn’t choose to beco like that. She was just a test subject."
"A test subject is still a dangerous fucking test subject."
Butcher waved impatiently.
"You’re feeling sorry for a Supe who can tear steel plates apart with her bare hands? Frenchie, are you fucking high?"
They still had not found Kimiko.
Mother’s Milk sat in the corner. He had not spoken the whole ti, his eyes filled with hatred. He was on Butcher’s side. After all, Soldier Boy had been directly involved in his family’s deaths, even if it had been an accident...
Butcher looked coldly at all of them and said, "Listen up, all of you. Once we find a chance to leak the truth about Compound V to the public, along with everything that happened today, Vought is going to take another massive hit. Soldier Boy and Vought’s top brass are already at odds. This is a gift. Those bastards are tearing themselves apart from the inside, and we’ll smash their shell from the outside. It’s that simple. Vought will be finished before long."
What Butcher did not know was that Benjamin was already doing the very thing he was planning.
As he spoke, Vought’s public relations servers were pushing a draft of an upcoming public statent to Ashley’s tablet.
The truth about Compound V would be revealed by Vought itself.
...
...
Vought Tower, press room.
There were still forty minutes before the press conference officially began.
But all three hundred dia seats were already filled.
Reporters who could not get inside were packed into the hallway. Several rows of caras and tripods blocked the entrance to the hall, and even the ceiling had been temporarily fitted with relay equipnt for the live broadcast.
It was not just New York. It was not even just the United States.
dia outlets around the world were watching this press conference.
Soldier Boy and Holander being ambushed in Pennsylvania by Supes sent by Vought’s forr president, and the truth behind superheroes.
Either story alone would be enough to blow up the front page, and today, Vought’s press conference would address all of it at once.
Ashley stood in the backstage dressing room, adjusting the angle of her collar over and over in the mirror.
Less than a week ago, she had still been a minor supervisor under Madelyn, ordered around at will.
Now... she was wearing a sharply tailored dark gray suit, about to face the caras of the entire world as the new CEO of Vought International.
Then Ashley took a deep breath and forced the last trace of trembling from the corner of her mouth.
Benjamin sat in another chair, his shield leaning against the armrest beside him, a cup of iced coffee in his hand. Holander stood next to him.
When the lights ca on, Ashley was the first to walk to the main podium.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I am Ashley Barrett, the new CEO of Vought International."
Her voice carried through the entire press room through the surround sound system.
Cara flashes burst into a wash of white light as many of the reporters started taking pictures.
Ashley paused briefly, then continued.
"Before today’s press conference officially begins, on behalf of Vought, I would like to formally apologize to the Arican people and to everyone around the world who has ever placed their trust in Vought."
A low stir spread through the audience.
"For decades, Stan Edgar and the forr mbers of his Board of Directors systematically concealed the truth, deceived people, and betrayed Vought’s heroes, employees, and the public. The following is a list of verified cris."
She opened the file in front of her and began reading through it one item at a ti.
"First, Edgar and his forr managent sold Soldier Boy to foreign forces without informing anyone, causing him to suffer forty years of illegal imprisonnt and inhuman torture."
"Second, after Mr. Soldier Boy overca imnse hardship and returned to the United States, forr Vice President Madelyn and Edgar ordered The Seven to illegally hunt him down. Holander later refused the order.
"Third, Edgar and Madelyn manipulated public opinion, used illegal thods to distort approval ratings, and deliberately slandered multiple mbers of The Seven, including Soldier Boy and Holander.
"Fourth, Edgar and Madelyn mobilized more than thirty Supe rcenaries, along with the remaining mbers of Payback, in an attempt to erase this World War II hero from the face of the earth."
She turned to the final page, and her voice suddenly beca slower and heavier than before.
"All of the cris listed above are supported by a complete chain of evidence. All evidence will be submitted to the FBI today. Vought hereby promises to fully cooperate with the investigation, disclose all files, and provide compensation to every victim!"
The hall was silent for a mont before noise erupted through the room.
"Now, Mr. Soldier Boy and Mr. Holander will take questions."
The first female reporter called on nearly rushed to speak.
"Mr. Soldier Boy! Edgar sold you out to the Russians... What kind of torture did you suffer during that ti?"
Benjamin pulled the microphone toward himself and fell silent for a mont. Then he briefly answered by describing the torture he had endured in Russia. Although he had already talked about it during the live broadcast, there was no harm in going over it again.
The second reporter quickly asked, "Mr. Soldier Boy, do you have the ability to live forever? After all these years, you look exactly the sa as you did forty years ago."
Soldier Boy nodded. "That’s right. I do have the ability to live forever, ever since I beca the Original Supe."
Beside him, Holander looked at Benjamin, a flicker of envy crossing his eyes.
Although he had already guessed that Soldier Boy had the ability to live forever, hearing Soldier Boy say it himself felt different.
But then Holander began to worry again.
Maybe he did not have the ability to live forever...
If several decades passed, would he end up leaving Benjamin?
At that thought, Holander grew unhappy again...
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