Chương 61

Annie stood inside Stormfront's van and faced her. She had already suspected Stormfront knew about the leak, but hearing the accusation made her steady herself before emotion showed.

"I know you leaked Compound V," Stormfront said. Annie kept her expression controlled. She had expected this moment, even if she had hoped it would come later. She drew one slow breath and refused to let her fear show. Stormfront watched Annie closely. Annie gave her nothing. She kept her hands loose and waited for the answer Stormfront wanted.

"You're right. I leaked Compound V... But... I know who you are... you're Liberty," Annie said, meeting Stormfront's eyes. Stormfront stayed calm, but the shock was clear. Starlight knew the identity she had hidden. The shock did not stay hidden for long. Stormfront understood that Starlight had discovered the truth. Annie drew energy into herself. Her eyes began to glow as she prepared to strike. Stormfront saw it and shifted her stance. Energy moved through her arms.

She was ready for the attack, and the van seemed to tighten around both women as they faced each other. The door opened before either of them could move. Homelander stepped into the van and looked from Annie to Stormfront. Homelander's arrival stopped the attack before either woman could move. Annie did not lower her guard because she trusted him. She lowered it because the moment had changed.

"What's going on?" he asked. Annie stopped glowing. She lowered her hands and walked past him.

"I have work to do," she said. She did not wait for an answer. Annie stepped out of the van and left Stormfront with Homelander.... The scene changed to The Boys' secret headquarters. Some time later, Annie entered the hideout. Adam stood near Mother's Milk while Butcher watched from the wall. Frenchie was at a table. Annie went straight to Adam, desperate to ask for help. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The others turned toward her as she crossed the room. Annie had entered Vought's offices smiling many times, but that smile was gone now. She had carried the decision from the van all the way to the hideout.

"Adam, I need your help." Adam knew what she meant. He kept his expression calm and acted as if her request had caught him off guard.

"With what?"

"I need You to remove the tracking chip." Adam watched her closely. Annie's voice was desperate, but the decision behind it was heavier than the words. Adam came closer and spoke softly.

"Are you sure? Do you understand what happens after this?" Removing the chip meant Annie was choosing a side. Once Vought discovered what she had done, she would be treated as an enemy of the Seven. Her fame had come from Vought. So had the privileges that came with it. The company could take both away as easily as it had given them to her. Adam wanted her to understand the cost before she made the decision. He knew Vought would not treat her choice as a private matter.

It would see the decision as a direct break from the life it had built for her. This was not just about hiding a chip or exposing one secret. It was about walking away from the identity Vought had built for her. Once she stood against the company, she could not expect its protection to remain. There would be no simple way back after that. She could not put the chip in again and pretend that nothing had happened. She could not stand beside the Seven while secretly fighting the company that controlled them.

Adam wanted her to understand that before Frenchie touched the device. Her mother could be pulled into that loss too. Vought had helped build the life Annie's mother depended on. Adam had seen the company's influence himself. It could close doors and ruin a person's name. It could also remove them from public life. Annie looked down at the floor. The thought of losing everything sat heavily on her, but she had already reached the answer before coming to the hideout. She raised her head again.

Her mother was part of that fear. Annie knew what Vought could do to the people connected to her. The company had given her mother a life tied to Annie's fame, and it could take that support away. Annie also knew that waiting for a safer moment would only give Vought more time to close every path in front of her.

"No," she said.

"I've decided. I'm moving forward with... you." Adam smiled and turned toward Frenchie. Frenchie understood the signal. He pulled a compact kit from a table and moved toward Annie. She sat down and held herself still while he prepared the tools. Adam stayed near her, and Mother's Milk watched without saying anything. Butcher stayed back and let Frenchie work. No one asked Annie to repeat her choice. Everyone understood that removing the chip would change the danger around her.

"Keep your shoulder still," Frenchie said.

"This will be quick." Annie gripped the edge of the chair. Frenchie worked under the skin with careful hands, keeping his movements controlled. After a few seconds, he lifted the tiny tracking chip free and placed it on the table. She looked at Adam.

"Stormfront knows." Adam's smile disappeared.

"Stormfront knows what?"

"She knows I leaked Compound V." Hughie looked from Annie to Adam.

"Then staying inside Vought is going to be difficult." Annie nodded, but her expression showed that she had brought more than a warning. She looked at everyone in the room before speaking.

"But I found something else. Vought is conducting research at a secret location."