Chương 55

The press conference inside Vought Tower had drawn every major network. Stan Edgar stood behind the podium while Ashley waited a few steps away. The active members of the Seven filled the platform behind him. Only Homelander was missing. He sat alone in the Seven's meeting room, watching the broadcast on the wall screen. He held a bag of ice against his cheek. His fingers tightened around it whenever the reporters raised their voices.

Homelander pulled the pack away and looked at his reflection in the black edge of the screen. The skin around his eye had turned blue. The same color covered his cheek where Adam had punched him twice. The swelling was already going down, but that did not comfort him. He remembered Adam holding off the Seven. He remembered the heat vision burning his hands and the first fist striking his cheek. The second punch had sent him through several buildings.

When Homelander regained his senses in the wreckage, his ear had still been ringing. He had looked toward Adam, then flown away before anyone could follow him. He had never needed to run from another Supe. Homelander held the ice against his cheek again. He had treated Adam like an amateur who had surprised him once. Now every member of the Seven knew that Adam could injure him. Other people had seen parts of the fight as well. If footage of his retreat appeared, the story would no longer belong to Vought.

People would ask why Homelander had left. They would see the bruise and compare him with Adam. Then they would decide which man looked stronger. He could already hear the questions. Sooner or later, the public would learn too. On the screen, Stormfront leaned toward the microphones instead of waiting for Edgar to finish.

"Vought knew this would happen," she said.

"Now they want everyone to believe one dead executive did it all. That's how this company works. They hide, then they give you a statement written by lawyers." Ashley stared at her. Edgar did not turn around. A reporter shouted a question about Compound V. Edgar returned to the podium. His voice stayed level.

"The evidence currently available points to actions taken by Madelyn Stillwell without authorization from Vought leadership. An internal committee has been formed, and we will cooperate with the investigation." The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Stormfront smiled at the cameras as if Edgar had proved her point. Homelander switched off the screen. Over the next two days, the bruise faded. The pain in his cheek disappeared, and the swelling around his eye healed.

His anger remained. Stormfront had once belonged to the internet. Now news channels invited her onto their evening programs. Each appearance gave her another chance to insult Vought while presenting herself as the only member of the Seven willing to speak honestly. Vought could not silence her without making her accusations look true. Homelander watched one interview from his office. The host called Stormfront brave. Homelander squeezed the remote until its casing cracked.

Far from Vought Tower, Billy Butcher stopped outside Grace Mallory's house. She let him inside but did not offer him a drink.

"I need you to find everything you can about Liberty," Mallory said. Butcher frowned.

"Who the hell is Liberty?"

"A Supe from the seventies and eighties. She disappeared from the public record years ago."

"And now you suddenly care where she went?" Mallory placed a thin file on the table.

"I care because an old name has appeared in a current investigation. I don't have proof of anything yet. That's why I need information." Butcher opened the file. It held little more than a faded image and a few dates.

"So you don't know what I'm meant to find."

"I know where you can start." Mallory watched him study the file. She had not planned to give him the second slip of paper. Then she saw how tired he looked and decided she had kept the answer from him long enough.

"That address has nothing to do with Liberty," she said.

"It's where you'll find Becca." Butcher's head rose. Mallory pushed another address toward him.

"This one leads to someone connected to Liberty. Give it to Mother's Milk; he'll know how to speak to her." Butcher took both addresses. For once, he had no answer ready.

"Don't make me regret it," Mallory said. He closed the file and left. Back at Vought Tower, Annie entered an elevator and pressed the lobby button. She wanted to get out before Ashley found another reason to keep her there. Adam was waiting to meet her. Annie had one question she needed him to answer: why had he aimed his heat vision at her during the fight? The doors began to close, then opened again. Homelander stepped inside. Annie moved toward the side wall.

He had spent most of the last two days inside his office, and no one knew what he was doing there. The bruise was gone now, but his expression made her wish it had been anyone else entering the elevator. He knew she had met Adam before. Annie still hoped he did not know how close they had become. The doors closed. Homelander reached past the controls and locked the elevator. Annie turned toward him.

"What are you doing?" His hand closed around her throat and lifted her from the floor.

"What did you think?" Homelander asked.

"That I wouldn't know?" Annie caught his wrist with both hands, but she could not loosen his grip.

"Looks like I should send Adam a gift." Homelander seized her arm and forced it behind her back. Annie pushed against him with all the strength she had. Her boots struck the wall, and the metal panel bent beneath one heel, yet her arm continued to turn. The anger he had carried since the fight finally had somewhere to go. Annie was the clearest weakness Adam had shown him. Homelander had no intention of killing her.

He only wanted to hurt her enough for Adam to understand that his weakness was still within Homelander's reach.