Syria. A dry, war-scarred land ravaged over and over by gunfire and smoke.
Yellow sand whipped through the air on the howling wind, scraping over shattered walls and ruins like sandpaper.
The sll of gunpowder hung thick in the air.
Yet in this death zone, where even local militants had to move with extre caution, a man and a woman were strolling across the desert as casually as if they were out for a walk in the park.
The man was tall and imposing, dressed in a dark green Supersuit with a distinctly vintage look. Shield in hand, he walked at an easy pace without so much as glancing at the sniper nests hidden in the shadows around them.
It was Benjamin, Vought’s current Supre Ruler, Soldier Boy.
Walking half a step behind him was "Starlight" Annie, wearing her signature platinum-white Supersuit.
Her old Supersuit, of course.
Even in the sand-choked winds of Syria, Starlight’s beautiful face and striking figure still stood out sharply.
Only now, she was not wearing the carefully practiced smile she usually put on for the caras.
Instead, she followed Benjamin step for step, her eyes carrying a trace of worship and obedience.
So ti had passed since Vought International captured the superpowered Asian girl Kimiko and her brother Kenji.
Benjamin knew nothing about what had happened in the Secret Community between Holander, Butcher, and Becca.
Mostly because Holander had not cared enough about it to ntion it to him.
Today, Benjamin had brought Starlight all the way from bustling New York to Syria, not to soak up so exotic scenery or play tourist, but to deal with a problem. A Supervillain nad Naqib.
More precisely, a terrorist who could blow himself up at any mont like a human nuke, then recover without a scratch.
That power was a little like his own.
In the original storyline, this self-detonating Supervillain had been handled by Black Noir, Vought International’s most ruthless killing machine.
Unfortunately, Black Noir had already had his heart ripped out by Holander himself.
Without Black Noir, that tireless cleaner who did all the dirty work without complaint, Naqib had been left sitting there like a bomb waiting to go off.
Of course, part of it was also because Benjamin had been bored out of his damn mind lately inside Vought Tower.
Aside from his usual nightti visits to Stormfront’s apartnt or RV to "coach" that crazy woman on her combat skills, or enjoying Starlight Annie’s worship and service in his office, Benjamin would occasionally visit Anika’s apartnt late at night too.
What surprised Benjamin was that Anika, who loved almond-filled chocolates, had never even had a boyfriend. This was Arica, after all, and a very open-minded Arica at that. Not to ntion this was the world of The Boys...
The only downside was that Anika was just an ordinary person, with no superhuman physical ability.
Which ant that whenever Benjamin went to her apartnt or the Vice President’s office at night, he had to hold back a lot.
...
...
Since he had nothing better to do anyway, Benjamin decided to get out for a change of scenery, bring Starlight along for so fresh air, and personally kill the self-destructing bastard Black Noir should have dealt with.
"Annie."
Benjamin asked, "How’s it going with that Japanese girl, Kimiko?"
Starlight froze for a second, then quickly took two steps to catch up. Her expression turned hesitant, as if she was choosing her words carefully.
"Kimiko... still seems unsure."
Starlight smoothed back her blonde hair, mussed by the wind, and reported seriously, "At first, she was very resistant. I followed your instructions and spoke with her privately a few tis. I also promised her that you’re different from the old Vought executives. Her attitude has softened a lot now, and she seems to be considering coming over to our side."
At that point, Starlight paused. She lifted her head, her clear eyes sneaking a glance at Benjamin’s broad back, and her voice lowered without her realizing it.
"But... Kimiko wrote sothing down for . She said the reason so many Supervillains injected with Compound V suddenly started popping up around the world wasn’t actually President Edgar or Madelyn’s fault."
Then Starlight’s voice grew even weaker.
"It was Holander. Back at the beginning, in order to help the company secure a military contract with the Departnt of Defense, Holander secretly had people deliver the compound to those terrorists."
The more Starlight spoke, the guiltier she sounded.
After all, Holander was Benjamin’s son.
"So..."
Starlight forced herself to finish. "Kimiko doesn’t trust Holander, and she doesn’t really trust Vought either. If possible, she’d rather have you remove her and Kenji’s Superpowers, but she’s even more afraid that you’re lying to them."
To Starlight’s surprise, after hearing all that, Benjamin did not get angry. Instead, he simply nodded like it did not matter.
"Not bad. That was indeed my brainless, spineless son’s handiwork."
Benjamin’s tone was blunt. Seeing Starlight’s adorable, stunned look, her red lips slightly parted in shock, he could not help giving a soft laugh.
He was not surprised that The Boys and Kimiko knew about it.
"No need to look so shocked, Annie."
Benjamin shrugged.
Then he pulled a sterling silver flask from his pocket, tilted his head back, and took a swig of hard liquor. The burning liquid slid down his throat, cutting through the dryness of the wind and sand.
"If I hadn’t woken up from that goddamn Russian cryogenic pod and co back to Vought to take charge, that attention-starved son of mine would absolutely have done shit a hundred tis dumber than this in the future, all for vanity and ratings."
Benjamin said, "But that doesn’t an Holander can’t change, does it?"
Hearing Benjamin speak so openly without dodging a thing only made Starlight admire him more.
That was Soldier Boy’s charm.
He was not fake, and he did not hide from anything.
"Mm!"
Starlight nodded hard, light shining in her eyes.
"I believe in you, sir. Under your leadership, you, Holander, and all of The Seven will definitely beco real superheroes."
Starlight continued, "As for Kimiko, I’ll go back and keep trying to persuade her patiently. But, sir, I’m a little worried. If we just let her and her brother out so easily, what should we do if she agrees on the surface, then secretly switches sides again and runs back to The Boys?"
Starlight was genuinely worried about that.
Benjamin found it funny. "Annie, do you think I need to kiss so stray dog’s ass and beg her to stay by my side?"
"If she wants to join us, great. If she runs, we catch her again. That simple."
In truth, Benjamin was not worried about Kimiko joining The Boys.
In the original storyline, the reason Kimiko fully joined The Boys was, at the end of the day, because her brother Kenji, the only family she had left, had his neck snapped by that crazy bitch Stormfront.
But now, Stormfront had long since been trained into complete obedience. Without Benjamin’s permission, there was no way she would execute Kenji on her own.
"I understand, sir."
"Good."
Benjamin patted her head with satisfaction.
Along the way, Benjamin had basically spent his relaxing hours at night with Starlight...
If it were not broad daylight, and if there were not possible danger nearby... just from Benjamin patting her head, Starlight really wanted to kneel down...
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