Chương 34

Annie looked at Adam after hearing him. Adam had been ready to speak first, but Annie opened her mouth before him.

"Actually," she said, "I need to tell you a serious thing too." Adam nodded, a little surprised.

"Tell me." Annie looked down at the table. Her fingers moved near the edge of her glass. She hesitated, then forced herself to look at him.

"Adam," she said, "I like you. A lot." After saying that, she went quiet. Adam stared at her, surprised. Then Adam remembered the original timeline. Hughie and Annie had also confirmed their relationship around this point. That moment was supposed to belong to Hughie, but this timeline had already moved away from that path. Adam smiled.

"Yes," he said.

"I wanted to tell you the same thing." Annie slowly looked up. Adam continued, "I like you too, Annie. I want to know you better. I want to keep talking with you and spend time with you." Her face brightened. Adam's smile stayed on his face, but his mind was already moving toward tomorrow. Homelander would soon show their photos to The Seven. Adam knew that. The photos had already reached him through Mesmer. If Adam told Annie everything right now, she would know too much before the meeting even began.

He wanted to protect her from that moment. He also knew the original timeline had pushed Annie into the truth by force. Maybe this time, if he told her too early, Homelander would notice it even faster.

'Maybe I should not tell her about that part yet,' Adam thought. Annie was still looking at him with a happy smile. Adam stood from the table and held out his hand. Annie understood what he meant. She stood too and placed her hand in his. Later, inside a hotel room, Adam lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Annie was beside him. Then Adam turned his head slightly.

"Annie, I need to tell you the truth." She kept her eyes closed.

"Adam, I am tired. Let me sleep." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Adam paused. He could hear her breathing slow down. She was tired. Adam let out a quiet breath and looked back at the ceiling. He was Superman now. At least, he was walking toward that power step by step. His strength was growing. His flight was stronger too. His heat vision and senses kept growing with it. Still, the story kept pulling people toward the same big moments.

'Maybe fate wants tomorrow to happen the same way,' Adam thought. He did not like that thought. He did not wake Annie again. The next day, Homelander stood inside The Seven's meeting room. He sent a message to every active member and called them in. Queen Maeve arrived first. Black Noir came without a word and took his place. A-Train came in after him. Annie entered last and looked at Homelander's face. She knew there was a problem. Homelander did not sit.

He stood near the screen and waited until the room became quiet.

"We have a problem," he said. The first image appeared on the screen. M. M.' s photo filled the wall. Annie looked at the man but did not recognize him. Frenchie's photo appeared next, and no one spoke before Butcher's photo came onto the screen. Annie's eyes widened a little. She recognized him from the restaurant yesterday. He was the man Adam had called his colleague. Homelander watched the room while the photo stayed on the screen. Then he moved to the next image. Hughie's face appeared.

Homelander stopped there. He turned his head toward A-Train first, then toward Annie.

"Do you know him?" Homelander asked. A-Train looked at the photo and shook his head.

"Nah. I don't know him." Annie looked at Hughie's face. She remembered seeing him in the park once, but that was all.

"I saw him once," she said.

"In the park. I do not know him." Homelander kept his eyes on her.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Because that is unique." Annie frowned. Homelander clicked another button, and the image widened to show the VIP pass record from Believe Expo.

"This boy got access because of you," Homelander said.

"You pulled strings for him." Annie looked confused.

"No," she said.

"I did not get a pass for him. I got it for Adam." The room went quiet. Homelander became still before he looked back at the screen and pressed another button. Adam's photo appeared, and Homelander pointed at it.

"This Adam?" he asked. Annie stared at the photo.

"What is going on?" she asked.

"Why do you have photos of all these people?" Homelander did not answer her question. Now he knew the name: Adam. The masked person had a name, and Annie had given it to him without even knowing it. Homelander looked at Hughie's photo again and understood the mistake he had made. Hughie and Adam were part of the same group. Mesmer had not brought him one enemy; he had brought him the whole trail. Homelander turned toward Annie.

"Your Adam," he said, "killed Translucent." Annie stood up as soon as she heard it.

"No," she said.

"That is not true. Adam would not do that." Homelander's eyes glowed red.

"Sit down," he shouted. Annie froze and sat back down. Homelander looked down at her.

"You need to choose a side," he said.

"Black Noir already knows his side, so learn from him and keep quiet." Annie's voice shook.

"He works for the FBI. How could he do that?" Everyone looked at her. Homelander walked toward her.

"So you were supporting him from inside," he said.

"You helped him get close to us." A-Train looked at Annie.

"So you were the one helping them?" Queen Maeve stood before Homelander reached Annie.

"No," Maeve said.

"That is not what happened." Homelander slowly turned his head toward her as Maeve stepped closer with a calm voice.

"They used her," Maeve said.

"Now we know what they did. It will not happen again." She came near Homelander and lowered her voice.

"Let her go," Maeve said.

"For me." Homelander stared at Maeve for a few seconds. Then a thought came to him. If Adam mattered to Starlight, then Starlight mattered to Adam. The masked man had given Homelander a useful card, and a weakness had walked into his hands. Homelander looked at Maeve.