Chương 31

Butcher had left the hideout, and Hughie had gone with him. At the hideout, Frenchie spread the Female's pages across the table and tried again. She tapped one symbol, then another. When he still did not understand, her movements became faster. He knew she was trying to warn them, so he went to M. M., who was with Adam. M. M. was explaining the history of Compound V to Adam.

"This has been happening since the seventies," he said.

"Every Supe on television started with adults making this choice for a child. None of them ever had a choice." M. M. watched Adam while he spoke.

'Does he still think of himself as one of us?' Adam listened and let M. M. finish. M. M. closed the file and waited. Adam gave him a short nod to show he had heard every word. Frenchie came in quickly.

"I need to know her past," Frenchie said.

"Please help me." M. M. frowned. Butcher had already said he would handle it.

"Butcher said he would handle it."

"We do not have time," Frenchie said.

"She is desperate. She keeps drawing the same thing. Whatever it is, she thinks we need to know now." M. M. looked toward the Female. She held the papers out again, unable to explain herself any other way. M. M. let out a breath and opened the old Supe files. He stopped at one name.

"Mesmer," he said.

"Former child star. He had a show called The Mesmerizer. He can touch someone and see pieces of their past." Frenchie's eyes sharpened. M. M. looked at Adam. Adam stood up without being asked.

'Good,' M. M. thought.

'He is still with us.' Frenchie stayed with the Female. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. M. M. took Adam with him. Adam followed without complaint. M. M. first arranged the supervised visit Mesmer wanted with his daughter. That was the price Mesmer had asked for. Adam watched M. M. finish the arrangement for Cleo, then followed him to a comic convention. Mesmer sat at a table signing items for people who remembered his old television show.

A fan placed an old Mesmerizer poster on the table, and Mesmer signed it quietly. M. M. approached Mesmer with a smile and offered his hand. Mesmer's smile disappeared the moment they touched. The memories showed him that M. M. had not come as a normal fan.

"This helps you too," M. M. said. Mesmer pulled his hand back. He no longer looked relaxed. Mesmer did not agree right away.

"My side of the deal first." M. M. took him to see Cleo. Adam stayed back during the supervised meeting. Mesmer smiled when Cleo arrived and started toward her, then stopped when he remembered the rules. He spoke to her from the allowed distance. Cleo answered him politely but never moved closer. Mesmer asked about her school. Cleo gave a short answer and looked toward the supervisor before speaking again. Mesmer's smile weakened, but he kept talking until the visit ended.

After the meeting ended, he came back to M. M.

"Fine," Mesmer said.

"I will do it." They brought Mesmer to the house, where Frenchie was waiting with the Female. The Female did not look calm when Mesmer sat near her. Frenchie spoke to her softly, trying to make her understand that Mesmer only had to touch her hand. Adam stood behind them and watched everything. Adam stayed behind them as Mesmer touched the Female's hand. The first memory was her fight with Black Noir. Mesmer saw a knife enter her body, then Adam step between them. The Female saw it too.

Kimiko panicked when the fight returned to her mind and grabbed Mesmer's hand with her full Supe strength. The grip crushed his wrist. His mental power offered no protection. Frenchie saw her face change and moved too late. A sharp crack filled the room as the bones in Mesmer's wrist broke. Mesmer screamed and fell backward while holding the injured arm against his chest. The Female got to her feet and moved toward the door. Frenchie stepped in front of her and tried to calm her. M. M.

took Mesmer aside and wrapped the wrist with what he had.

"Sit down," he said.

"We will get your hand treated, but you need to breathe." Mesmer was still shaking. Mesmer could not shake the memory of Black Noir.

'If one of the Seven came after her, what are these people hiding?' Then he remembered Adam stopping Noir with one hit. Adam heard Mesmer's heartbeat race.

'There it is,' he thought.

'This is where he decides to betray us.' Adam made no move to calm Mesmer.

'Vought will connect my face to the mask soon anyway,' he thought.

'Stopping Mesmer only buys a few days, and I need more chances to use my power in public.'

'Every time I use my power in public, synchronization rises faster,' Adam thought. The Expo had pushed it to twenty-eight percent.

'I can already match Homelander's strength,' Adam thought.

'What happens at one hundred percent? Cosmic Superman? Something close to that?' Mesmer tried to back away again. Adam stepped closer.

"No one will hurt you. Sit down and finish the reading." Mesmer watched him for several seconds before finally nodding.