Chương 68

Annie January, also known as Starlight, sat alone inside a small cafe. She was near the window, but she was not looking outside. Her attention stayed on the empty chair across from her. She knew her mother would arrive soon. Before coming there, Donna January had called Vought to request a few days of leave for Annie from Team Seven. She said Annie needed personal time and wanted to stay with her. Donna believed Vought would accept. She did not know Annie had already removed Vought's tracking chip.

When Vought discovered that Annie's tracker had stopped working, its technicians searched every signal. They checked the last location. Then they tried to reconnect with the chip. Nothing worked. Annie had disappeared from their system. Vought became suspicious. Annie had lost the signal. Someone had deliberately removed the tracker. The report reached Stan Edgar, who asked, "Do we know where she is?"

"No, sir. We lost her signal completely." Edgar remained silent for a few seconds. Then he picked up his phone and contacted Black Noir.

"Find her," he ordered.

"Bring her back." Black Noir said nothing and ended the call. Donna arrived and looked around nervously. Seeing Annie brought relief to Donna, but guilt returned. Annie noticed, but said nothing. Donna sat across from her. Neither spoke for several seconds. Donna kept looking at Annie. She tried to speak, but every sentence felt insufficient. She had hurt her daughter, and an apology would not erase it. Donna looked down.

"Annie, forgive me." Annie remained silent as Donna took a slow breath.

"I only wanted to see you have a golden future. I wanted you to become successful. I wanted you to have a life that I could never give you." Her voice became unsteady.

"But while trying to build that future for you, I never thought about what you actually wanted." Annie's expression did not change, but her eyes became colder.

"I know none of this has been easy for you," Donna continued.

"I know you may never be able to forgive me. But remember one thing. Everything I did was because I wanted what I believed was best for you." Annie looked down at the table. She had imagined shouting at her mother. She had imagined blaming her. She had imagined telling her that she had destroyed her life. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. But now Donna was sitting in front of her, and Annie did not feel the anger she had expected.

"I am angry with you," Annie said quietly.

"But not as much as I thought I would be." Donna's eyes filled with tears. Annie raised her head.

"I thought that I could never—" The cafe's front door suddenly exploded open. Everyone inside turned toward the entrance. Black Noir stepped through the broken doorway. Annie and Donna looked behind them, but Annie did not get enough time to stand. Black Noir reached the table before Annie could turn. His fist struck her cheek. The punch lifted Annie from the ground. She crashed through two tables. She destroyed a third and fell against the floor.

"Annie!" Donna screamed. She moved toward her daughter, but Black Noir turned toward her. Donna stopped in fear. Black Noir grabbed her head and slammed it against the nearest table. The sound echoed through the cafe. Donna went limp and collapsed beside it. Annie pushed herself up. Blood ran from her mouth. Her vision was unfocused, but she forced herself to stand. Her eyes moved toward the lights above the cafe. The bulbs began flickering. Annie stretched out her hands and gathered the electricity around her.

Energy moved toward Annie, and the lights brightened. The light around her hands intensified. Black Noir suddenly appeared in front of her. Annie's eyes widened. Black Noir drove his foot into her stomach. The kick forced the air from her lungs. Annie bent forward, and her gathered energy scattered across the room. Before she could recover, his fist struck her mouth. The impact threw Annie backward. Her head struck the floor, and the cafe became silent. Starlight was knocked unconscious. Noir stepped away.

Seconds later, Vought soldiers entered and surrounded them. Two lifted Donna, while the others grabbed Annie's unconscious body. Neither could resist. The soldiers carried them outside and placed them in the vehicle. Black Noir followed without a word. The cafe fell silent. At Vogelbaum's residence, Grace Mallory and M. M. sat across from the old man. Vogelbaum had worked for Vought on experiments involving test subjects, including Homelander. Grace leaned forward.

"Jonah, we need your help. You know what Vought did and how it created Compound V. You know how the test subjects were treated and how many lives were destroyed because of the company." Vogelbaum looked down at his hands.

"We need you to testify against Vought," Grace continued.

"Your statement could expose them." M. M. watched Vogelbaum carefully. Fear showed on the old man's face, but his information could change everything. Vogelbaum released a deep breath. He said, "I used to work for Vought. For years, I believed my work was necessary. I told myself the experiments would help humanity." He continued, "But after I saw what my work had done, I stopped believing that. I saw what Vought was. After I left, I could no longer support their methods." They exchanged a look.

Vogelbaum said, "I worked on many test subjects and watched children being injected and experimented on. I watched them treated like objects. Homelander was one of them." M. M.' s expression became serious. Vogelbaum looked toward Grace.

"You already know that I can help you. You know that I have enough information to speak against Vought." Grace nodded and said, "Then testify." Vogelbaum's face tightened.

"But if I testify against them, Vought will not leave my family alive." M. M.'s hope disappeared. Vogelbaum continued, "They will come after every person connected to me. They may threaten or hurt them, and they may even kill them. I cannot put my family in that situation." Grace understood that she could not make him testify. M. M. looked at Grace, waiting for her to push harder. Grace stared at Vogelbaum, then slowly stood.

"Fine," she said.

"We will not ask you for any more help." Vogelbaum did not reply. Grace turned away, and M. M. followed her out. Outside, Adam waited beside their vehicle. His arms were crossed, and he noticed their disappointment. Adam looked at M. M.

"Any positive result?" M. M. shook his head. Adam said nothing. Grace and M. M. remained beside the vehicle. Vought's operation against Annie had already begun.