Chương 25

Some time later, Starlight returned. There was still a smile on her face when she stopped in front of Adam. She held out a Diamond Club VIP pass.

"Best of luck with your work," she said. Adam accepted the pass. Starlight was happy that she had managed to get the pass for him. Before he could say anything else, Starlight turned and began walking away in a hurry. Adam watched her go. He knew she had probably been called to the meeting where she would learn more about the truth behind the Expo.

"Stay strong," Adam called after her.

"I will always be with you." Starlight did not look back. Her face had already turned red, and she did not want Adam to see it. She only quickened her steps and continued toward the meeting. Adam carried the pass toward the place where Butcher, M. M., and Hughie were waiting. M. M. was smiling at him before he even reached them.

"What happened?" Adam asked. Butcher copied his voice.

"'I will always be with you.' Wow. You can say some good lines when you want to." Adam ignored him and held the pass out to Hughie. Butcher looked at Hughie.

"You remember what you have to do?" Hughie took the pass and nodded. He held the pass tightly by its edge. Hughie was far more than a little nervous. He looked ready to run as he stared at the VIP entrance without moving. A sharp sound came from above them. Homelander flew over the Expo and descended toward the event grounds. Butcher watched Homelander descend, then turned his attention back to Adam.

"Get to work. Stay away from Homelander for now." Adam nodded and walked away from the others. A short time later, Hughie entered the Diamond Club area. The VIP guests had gathered for a private baptism led by Ezekiel. More people kept arriving with the same expensive passes hanging around their necks. Hughie tried to control his breathing while he waited with the others. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Then Homelander entered.

He saw Hughie and walked over to him.

"Hughie, right?" Homelander asked.

"Starlight's friend."

"Yeah," Hughie answered.

"You two must have gotten pretty close. She asked for an expensive pass just for you." Hughie's fear grew. Starlight had requested that pass for Adam, not him. If Homelander asked one more question, Hughie did not know what he would say. He remained silent. Homelander looked him over. He could not understand what Starlight had seen in Hughie, but nothing else seemed strange to him. When the baptism began, Hughie joined the line. One person after another entered the water before it was finally his turn.

Homelander placed a hand behind Hughie's neck and lowered him into the water. Hughie expected to be lifted back up after a moment. Homelander kept him there. Hughie pushed against Homelander's arm as the seconds passed. Homelander's arm did not move. He thought Homelander was going to drown him in front of everyone. Then Homelander finally pulled him out. Hughie dragged in a breath while Homelander looked at him as if nothing unusual had happened. The baptism continued, but Homelander did not stay for long.

He had a speech to give. Homelander had arrived at the Expo already angry. Madelyn Stillwell had refused to come because she had chosen to stay with Teddy. The investigation inside Vought had made his mood worse, especially because Madelyn's own name had become part of it. Earlier, Homelander had gone to see her.

"You should be at the Expo," he had said.

"I am staying with Teddy," Madelyn replied. Madelyn refused to leave Teddy and go to the Expo with him. Before he left, she stopped him with another warning.

"What you are doing with Compound V is not okay," she said.

"There is already an investigation inside Vought. You are making this worse." Homelander had stared at her. Her warning angered him. Her decision to stay with Teddy instead of coming with him angered him even more. He still carried that anger when he stood before the crowd at Believe Expo. Homelander began his speech. He spoke about the hijacked airplane and the enemies who were becoming bold enough to attack America. He told the crowd that they did not need to be afraid.

His voice grew louder as he spoke about protecting America. God had sent Supes to protect the country when no one else could. The crowd below the stage cheered for him. Then a heavy sound rolled across the sky. People stopped cheering and looked up. Homelander also raised his head. A masked figure was flying toward Believe Expo at high speed. The figure crossed the sky and slowed above the crowd. It was Adam. He stopped in the air at a height where everyone could see him.

He wore a different outfit, and a cape moved behind him. Adam had chosen the cape himself because it was important to him. If he was going to face Homelander as Superman, he wanted the cape with him. Adam looked down at the stage.

"Now Superman has come to meet you, Homelander." Homelander looked up and recognized the masked man above him. Sweat appeared across his skin as he stared up at Adam.

'How is he here?'