Chương 44

Annie found Matthew Culbert, the childhood friend Adam had told her about, inside Vought. He stopped when he saw her.

"Annie? What are you doing here?" She held up her phone. The proof on it was enough to blackmail him, and Matthew understood that as soon as he saw it. Her thumb stayed over the send button. If he refused her, she was ready to expose him. Annie kept the screen where he could see it.

"You work in the labs," Annie said.

"I need a sample of Compound V." Matthew stared at her.

"I can't do that. They watch everything."

"You have to," Annie said.

"If you refuse, this goes public." He checked the phone again. He had not expected this from his childhood friend, but the proof was still there. Matthew swallowed.

"You're blackmailing me?"

"Yes," Annie said.

"I need proof, and you're the only person I know inside those labs." Matthew stared at the phone again. He was shocked, but he understood that Annie would not back down. At the hideout, Frenchie and M. M. kept the team's resources alive through a side business moving drugs. It brought in enough money to cover what the Boys needed. Their network was strong, with contacts who handled shipments arriving from outside the city.

One of those contacts was checking CCTV from their drug ship when something on the recording shocked him. He called Frenchie to the monitor.

"You need to see this." Frenchie leaned over the screen. The footage showed drugs on the ship, but it also showed people being trafficked below deck. Then one captive used a power. The ship shook before the camera went black. The footage made another thing clear. Whoever ran the ship knew about the human trafficking and knew that a Supe was among the captives. Frenchie stared at the screen, then immediately called for M. M., Adam, and Hughie.

When they gathered around the monitor and saw the recording, all of them fell silent. Adam watched the captive use his power again on replay. M. M. looked from the trafficked people to Frenchie, while Hughie struggled to understand how their own route had been used for this without them knowing. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"They were moving people with the drugs," he said.

"And one of them was a Supe," Frenchie answered.

"We brought a super-terrorist into the country without knowing it." Kimiko moved closer to the monitor. Her eyes stayed on the man in the footage. Then she took a sheet of paper and wrote one word on it. Boy. Frenchie read it and frowned.

"I do not understand, mon coeur. What are you trying to tell me?" Hughie stayed quiet for a while, then turned to Adam.

"We should tell Annie. Starlight is our outside help, and she might find more evidence." M. M. snapped at him.

"Are you out of your mind? Do you know what that would mean?" Adam answered calmly.

"Your idea makes sense, Hughie. But Annie is already under too much pressure. She doesn't have the authority to act on this." M. M. nodded once.

"We need someone who does. Deputy Director Susan Raynor." The others agreed that Raynor had the authority they needed. At Vought, promotional videos were being prepared for the Seven's coming military role. Ashley had taken Madelyn's place and was trying to keep Homelander pleased while he watched the recording. A woman walked in with a phone held high, speaking to her live stream. Homelander first assumed she was another fan. Then she turned the camera toward him.

"Hi. I'm in The Seven, replacing Translucent. God bless his soul; ink's barely dry but, yeah, reporting for duty." The set went quiet. Ashley looked ready to collapse. Homelander controlled his expression. He smiled at Stormfront.

"Congratulations," he said. Then he rose into the air and left the set. He was going straight to Stan Edgar. The Boys waited beside their van until Raynor arrived and stepped out of her car. Frenchie stayed in the driver's seat while Hughie and M. M. stood outside. Adam kept looking around. M. M. explained that their drug ship had also been used for human trafficking. Because of that route, they had accidentally brought a supervillain into the country, and he was now loose. Raynor listened without interrupting.

When he finished, she smiled as the truth became clear to her.

"I understand now," she said.

"Vought did this. They used your route to bring him here, and they..." Her next sentence never came. Her face changed. Blood ran from her nose. She tried to say more. Her head burst. Hughie pulled M. M. backward. Frenchie recoiled inside the van. Adam stepped in front of them.

"Get in the van. Now." Adam knew who had killed Raynor and what power was being used. He did not know whether his durability could withstand it. A tingling spread through both of his temples. Adam clenched his jaw and stayed upright. That feeling confirmed it. Victoria Neuman had tried her power on him too. Adam had already found her when Raynor arrived. Victoria Neuman sat in the back of a nearby car, wearing a cap and sunglasses. Four people in normal clothes guarded the car. Neuman stared at Adam with surprise.

At first, Adam had planned only to scare her. After she used her power on him, he decided to teach her a lesson. He knew she mattered later. Killing her would tear apart too much of the future he was trying to reach. But letting her walk away without fear was not an option. His eyes began to glow. Neuman slapped the front seat. The driver understood and hit the gas. The car moved. Adam's heat vision came down from above. The beam cut through all four guards and tore the roof from the car. The driver did not stop.

The open car sped into traffic, but Adam did not follow. The lesson was enough. Neuman would think twice before trying that cheap move on him again.

"I hope you remember me"