Stephen remarked with genuine curiosity, "The superheroes in your world are like professional athletes—they get traded around like merchandise. But I've got to say, the transfer fees are insane!"
Annie smacked her forehead, looking both conflicted and miserable. "This is just... the worst. They've completely corrupted my dream!"
Wade shrugged. "Your dream shouldn't be about becoming a superhero. You're better off chasing stardom in Hollywood. A sweet, dreamy girl like you? That's where you belong."
Stephen chuckled at that. "Is that so? I thought Vought was based in Hollywood. Isn't it?"
The two hit it off with the joke and burst into laughter. Billy and Hughie couldn't help but laugh along, the mood turning light and cheerful. Only Annie and Thor looked at each other in confusion—Annie's face was burning with embarrassment, while Thor's expression was full of question marks.
"Safe travels."
At that moment, the light screen paused right after Madelyn gave her parting words.
A new question appeared:
[Who among the following is responsible for the death of Baltimore political figure Steve?]
[A: Homelander
B: Queen Maeve
C: Black Noir
D: The Deep]
Hughie's eyes widened. "They're talking about killing a politician? Covering it up with murder?"
Billy rolled his eyes. "Not surprising. This kind of thing? Totally on-brand."
Annie burst out, "Oh my god, this is insane! Weren't they already reconciled? Why would they still go as far as to kill someone? Just what is Compound V really about?"
Stephen replied gravely, "You'll get your answers later. For now, focus on the question. You all know The Seven better than I do—who do you think is the most suspicious?"
Billy glanced sideways. "Well, that depends on how lovely Mr. Steve was traveling. If he was on a plane, then go with A—Homelander. He could easily catch up to anything in the air.
If it was a boat, then D makes sense—the ocean's The Deep's domain. If it was over land, then B and C are more likely. But if you ask me… I'm going with A. Homelander's got the mobility advantage."
Billy's reasoning was solid, and the others nodded along. As the countdown for the quiz began, everyone rushed to hit their buzzers for the chance to score points.
This time, Thor managed to buzz in first and selected option A. The others followed his lead. When the countdown hit zero, the answer revealed on screen was indeed—A. Homelander.
Thor earned 4 points for getting it right first. Everyone else received 1 point.
Once the quiz ended, the screen immediately resumed the video. The footage showed Steve—aboard a private jet with his family, heading back to Baltimore. The plane hit some turbulence and started to shake a little.
Steve was sitting with his son, offering a few comforting words. That's when the boy looked out the window—and suddenly spotted a familiar figure flying beside the jet.
"Dad, look! Look!" he shouted excitedly.
Someone was flying just outside the plane, keeping pace easily through the clouds. Draped in the American flag—there was no mistaking it. It was Homelander, Vought's golden boy.
Steve's son was a fan. In fact, just before Steve's negotiation with Madelyn, the kid had begged for an autograph from Homelander.
But while the boy was ecstatic to see his hero, Steve was completely thrown. "What's he doing here?"
The kid beamed. "Aren't you guys friends?"
Maybe Homelander had just come to see them off?
Outside the plane, Homelander flew in classic Superman fashion. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with crimson beams. Steve's face went pale—he knew exactly what was coming. He reached for the radio to call for help.
But it was too late.
Two searing beams of laser tore through the jet like a hot knife through butter, slicing the plane clean in half.
As the wreckage burned and fell from the sky, Homelander hovered in place, hands on his hips, his expression unreadable—until a small smile crept across his face.
He was seeing them off... just not how they expected.
"God. Oh my god!" Outside the video feed, Annie covered her mouth in horror. "How could he be so heartless? There was a child on that plane!"
The earlier hint in the quiz suggested the killing was meant to silence someone—but that made everyone assume it was just the politician who died.
People might not care much about politicians, but when innocent lives get caught in the crossfire—especially a sweet little kid who looked up to Homelander—that changed everything.
A horrifying new side of Homelander, one cruel, cold, and arrogant, had just been exposed.
Wade dramatically mimicked Annie's reaction, yelling, "Oh my god, oh my god! Your world's rating must be worse than a sewer! Everyone knows—you don't kill kids in TV shows! That's, like, a sacred rule!"
No one bothered to respond to his usual nonsense.
Hughie shook his head slowly. "I thought Homelander was different. You told me the rest of The Seven were all degenerates, but he wasn't like them—he didn't chase thrills, didn't care about women or money. He was... like a real hero."
Billy had said as much when giving Hughie the rundown on Vought's elite team.
But now Billy said darkly, "And that's exactly why he's more dangerous than all of them, isn't he?"
Then, a crooked grin curled on his lips—the kind of grin only a bastard like Billy could pull off. "God, I'd love to see Homelander's face right now… I bet it's priceless."
In the world of The Boys...
With a sonic boom, Homelander shot into the sky like a missile, rage boiling over. Right in front of the crowd, he fired a blast of high-powered laser at the massive screen showing the footage.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
He was clearly losing it. Years of carefully crafted image-building—exposed in an instant. All the smiling, the public appearances, the pretending—it was a joke now.
He knew he shouldn't be this reckless, but he couldn't stop himself. He had to vent.
But the powerful red beams that could slice through steel? They passed straight through the screen harmlessly. No damage at all.
Below, a massive crowd had gathered, all watching him melt down in real time. Most were silent. Some even started shouting their support—maybe they didn't care that his image was shattered.
But the opposition was louder, angrier.
Homelander had always been seen as the strongest, the most relatable, the most eloquent of The Seven. He had fans like no other. His approval ratings had always been sky-high.
And now?
Now the Quiz game had torn off his mask and shown the world his true face.
__
T/N:
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