Before I could plan anything, I needed intel. Real, actionable intelligence about where I was in the timeline and what threats I'd be facing.
I spent the first week using my hypnosis on low-level targets: a Vought security guard, a gossip blogger who covered Supe culture, a bartender at a hero hangout.
Each one I'd corner in private, lock eyes with them, and push.
"Tell me everything you know about The Seven. Current roster, recent events, scandals."
Their eyes would glaze, and they'd talk. Everything. No resistance, no holding back. Under my hypnotic control, they were incapable of lying or withholding information.
I learned:
Starlight had recently joined The Seven (early timeline, perfect) A-Train was spiraling into Compound V addiction The Deep was still a member, regularly assaulting women Homelander was beloved by the public but increasingly unstable Translucent was alive (very early timeline) Billy Butcher's crew existed but was operating underground Stormfront hadn't arrived yet
After each interrogation, I'd implant a simple command: "Forget this conversation. You never met me."
They'd wake up with gaps in their memory, confused but unable to recall my face or what they'd revealed.
"Knowledge is power," I muttered, reviewing my notes in my crappy studio apartment. "And I'm going to need every advantage I can get."
Chapter 4: First Kill, First Power
I didn't go hunting for my first kill. It found me.
I was walking through Brooklyn when I heard screaming from an alley. A woman was pinned against a wall by a man in a cheap costume—some C-list Supe called "Shockwave" with electrical powers.
"Please, I have money—" the woman begged.
"I don't want your money, bitch. I want—"
"Hey!" I called out. "Let her go."
Shockwave turned, his hands crackling with blue electricity. "Fuck off. This doesn't concern you."
The woman used his distraction to run. Good.
"Actually, it does. See, I'm trying to be a better person. And letting scum like you hurt people doesn't fit that goal."
He laughed. "You got a death wish? I'll fry you where you stand."
He threw a bolt of electricity at me. I dodged with my super-speed—so fast he looked like he was moving in slow motion.
"My turn," I said.
I locked eyes with him and pushed with all my hypnotic power.
His expression went slack mid-attack, electricity fizzling out. He stood there, completely docile, a puppet with cut strings.
"You're a rapist," I said quietly. "A predator. How many women have you hurt?"
"Thirteen," he answered in a monotone.
"Did Vought cover it up?"
"Yes. They paid the victims. Made them sign NDAs."
My jaw clenched. Thirteen women. And Vought had protected him because he was profitable.
"Here's what's going to happen. You're going to confess everything. Every assault, every victim. You're going to walk into the nearest police station and tell them everything."
"Yes."
"But first..." I transformed, black lightning crackling around my body. "I'm going to make sure you never hurt anyone again."
I hit him with a concentrated blast of magical energy. He didn't even scream—the hypnosis kept him docile until the very end.
And then it happened.
His body began to glow, dissolving into streams of golden light that flowed directly into my chest. Power—raw, electric power—surged through my system. I gasped as knowledge flooded my mind: how to generate electricity, how to control voltage, how to sense electrical fields.
I raised my hand experimentally. Blue lightning—identical to Shockwave's—crackled across my palm.
"So that's how it works," I whispered, staring at my hand in awe. "Kill them with my powers, absorb their abilities. Everything they could do, I can now do."
I had hypnosis, super strength, speed, flight, magic, and now electrokinesis.
And this was just the beginning.
Chapter 5: Vought Takes Notice
Three days after Shockwave's "suicide by cop" (he'd confessed everything before the police shot him), a woman in an expensive suit knocked on my apartment door.
I opened it to find Madelyn Stillwell, looking perfect and dangerous.
"Alex Morrison?" she asked, checking a tablet. "May I come in?"
I could hypnotize her right now. Make her forget she ever found me. But that would trigger alarms—a senior VP suddenly losing time would raise red flags.
"Depends. Are you here to threaten me or make an offer?"
She smiled, cold as ice. "Can't it be both? I'm Madelyn Stillwell, Senior Vice President of Hero Management at Vought International."
"I know who you are."
"Good. Then you know I don't waste time. You're an unregistered Supe with significant abilities. That makes you either an asset or a liability."
"And you want to know which."
"I want to make you an asset. Vought can offer you everything—money, fame, protection. All you have to do is sign a contract and let us evaluate your powers."
"Evaluate. You mean control."
"We prefer 'partner with.' You'd join one of our hero teams, maybe work your way up to The Seven eventually."
I studied her face, reading the micro-expressions. She was curious about my abilities, yes, but also cautious. Someone had told her I was potentially dangerous.
"What if I refuse?"
"Then you become a liability. And Vought is very good at handling liabilities. Ask yourself—would you rather be rich and famous, or constantly looking over your shoulder?"
It was a clear threat. Sign or be eliminated.
"I'll think about it," I said.
"Don't think too long. This offer expires." She handed me a business card. "Call me when you're ready to be smart about your future."
After she left, I stared at the card.
Vought knew about me. They'd be watching now. Which meant I needed allies fast.
Time to find Billy Butcher.
Chapter 6: Finding The Boys
Tracking down Butcher took three days of hypnotizing low-level criminals and Vought employees.
"Tell me everything you know about Billy Butcher and his crew."
"Terrorists... they target Supes... British guy, really angry... work out of a hideout in Brooklyn..."
Piece by piece, I assembled enough information to find them.
I cornered Butcher outside a dive bar. He noticed me immediately—paranoid instincts from years of hunting Supes.
"You following me, mate?" he asked, hand probably on a weapon.
"I'm a Supe who wants Vought destroyed. Thought we might have mutual interests."
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You've got five seconds to explain why I shouldn't put a bullet in your skull right now."
"Because I have powers that can actually hurt them. Powers they're afraid of." I locked eyes with him—not pushing, just showing him I could. "I can control minds, Butcher. Make people tell me anything. Make them forget I exist. Make them do whatever I want."
"Mind control." He studied me carefully. "That's either incredibly useful or incredibly dangerous."
"Both. Which is why I'm offering to work with you, not against you. Vought threatened me. I want revenge. You want revenge. Let's burn them down together."
A slow, vicious smile spread across his face. "Alright. But I've got rules. You don't use that power on me or my crew. Ever. I find out you did, and I'll kill you in your sleep."
"Deal."
"Good. Come meet the boys. And if you're lying about any of this, you'll die screaming. Clear?"
"Crystal."