PS (One patreon member can make this or any of my fanfic update weekly since some will stop after hitting 20 to 25 chapters.)
Chapter 19: The Funeral
POV: Ben
The funeral for a young woman killed in A-Train's latest "accident" draws protesters, mourners, and Vought PR representatives in equal measure—and Ben, hunting the Supe who's been quietly eliminating witnesses to the incident.
Morning light filters through stained glass windows that paint everything in colors of manufactured grief while corporate sympathy mingles with genuine sorrow in ratios that probably can't be calculated accurately. The victim—Jessica Martinez, twenty-three, nursing student—lies in a casket that costs more than most people's cars, Vought's death benefits ensuring that grief comes with premium funeral arrangements.
"A-Train's collateral damage. Another Robin Ward, another life turned into red mist because speedsters don't slow down for pedestrians who can't get out of the way fast enough."
Ben sits beside Hughie in pews that smell of polish and accumulated tears, noting the way his friend's hands shake during hymns that probably weren't written for victims of superhuman vehicular homicide. Two months since Robin's death, and Hughie still flinches when anyone mentions speed or running or the particular sound that enhanced velocity makes when it meets normal human anatomy.
Hughie insisted Ben attend, needing support to face another funeral that mirrors his own loss with uncomfortable precision. When Jessica's father collapses at the graveside, clutching dirt that will cover his daughter's coffin, something breaks in Hughie's carefully constructed emotional stability.
"He's seeing Robin again. Seeing himself in that father's grief, remembering what it feels like to watch someone you love get reduced to statistical footnote."
"Sometimes I want to kill them all," Hughie whispers during the eulogy, his voice carrying the particular venom that comes from trauma that hasn't healed properly. "Every single Supe. Every one of them, because the good ones enable the bad ones just by existing."
The confession hangs between them like smoke from weapons that have been fired in intimate quarters. Ben finds himself nodding agreement while hating the fact that Hughie's radicalization mirrors his own philosophical evolution—grief transforming into systematic hatred disguised as justice.
"He's becoming what I am. What Butcher made him. Someone who sees enhanced individuals as problems that require permanent solutions."
"They're not all monsters," Ben says, the words tasting like lies even though he means them.
"Aren't they?" Hughie's voice grows quieter, more dangerous. "The ones who kill accidentally, the ones who cover for killers, the ones who stay silent while Vought turns murder into marketing—what's the fucking difference?"
A shadow falls across their pew as someone approaches with movements too silent for normal human coordination. Ben's danger sense pings softly, then settles as his Compound V detection identifies enhanced abilities that register as familiar rather than threatening.
Kimiko.
The Female settles beside them without invitation, her presence creating space where none existed through supernatural awareness of personal boundaries. When she signs to Hughie, her gestures carry the particular fluidity that comes from people who've learned to communicate through violence and silence in equal measure.
"Grief makes monsters of good men," Hughie translates, his voice carrying the weight of someone processing uncomfortable truths. "She says it's natural to want revenge. The trick is choosing the right targets."
Kimiko's eyes find Ben's with intensity that suggests this conversation is more directed than casual sympathy. When she signs again, her gestures seem to include him specifically in whatever assessment she's conducting.
"She's been watching. Studying. Learning things about me that I thought were hidden."
"She says she knows what you are," Hughie continues with growing confusion. "Says she recognizes... shadows? Ben, what is she talking about?"
Ben's nervous system fires warnings while his shadows writhe beneath his skin in response to being observed by someone whose enhanced senses operate beyond normal human perception. Kimiko's expression suggests she sees his supernatural nature clearly despite his efforts at concealment.
"Exposed. Completely exposed to someone whose loyalty to The Boys might override personal understanding."
But Kimiko's next gestures carry reassurance rather than threat, her signing deliberate and careful as she explains concepts that probably don't translate well into normal language.
"She says she's not threatening you," Hughie translates with increasing fascination. "She recognizes a fellow weapon learning to be human. Says you both kill the right people for the right reasons."
After the service, mourners scatter into parking lots where corporate grief counselors distribute business cards and Vought PR representatives manage media coverage with the efficiency that comes from experience with superhuman collateral damage. Ben walks toward his car, processing Kimiko's unexpected understanding of his nature.
She follows him with predatory grace that makes normal movement look clumsy by comparison, her enhanced reflexes allowing her to match his pace exactly without appearing to make any effort. When she signs directly to him, Ben realizes she's been learning to communicate without Hughie's translation.
Her gestures paint pictures of observations that should be impossible—shadows moving independently during combat, coordination that suggests multiple consciousness directing tactical decisions, the particular stillness that comes from people who've learned to evaluate everything as potential resource or potential threat.
"She sees them. Actually sees my shadows, even when they're not manifested. Her enhanced senses pick up supernatural resonance that normal perception can't detect."
Kimiko demonstrates her knowledge by perfectly mimicking Popclaw's shadow's aggressive stance, her body language shifting to match the density-manipulating echo's particular way of holding space. The imitation is so accurate that Ben laughs despite the funeral's somber setting, recognizing his own extraction in her performance.
"Acceptance. She's offering acceptance instead of judgment, kinship instead of fear. Recognizing me as fellow monster trying to choose targets instead of just being weapon."
When Kimiko signs her final message, the gestures carry weight that feels like philosophical declaration: "We are same—made into monsters, trying to choose who we kill."
Ben realizes he's found something approaching genuine understanding in someone whose nature mirrors his own transformation—weapon created by systems that profit from violence, learning to direct that violence toward targets that deserve it instead of just convenient ones.
"Kinship. Real kinship with someone who understands what it means to be dangerous and trying to be good simultaneously."
His phone buzzes with intelligence that redirects social connection toward operational necessity. Shockwave—D-list speedster who's been eliminating witnesses to A-Train's "accidents"—is scheduled to appear at a memorial service being held in the alley behind the funeral home, where Jessica's friends gather to share stories that won't make it into official remembrance ceremonies.
"Perfect hunting ground. Isolated location, emotional distraction, target who deserves everything he's about to get."
Ben tracks Shockwave through crowd dynamics and enhanced detection, noting the way the speedster positions himself near witnesses whose testimony could complicate Vought's official narrative about Jessica's death. His enhanced speed makes him difficult to target directly, but Ben's shadows provide coordination that normal humans can't match.
The confrontation erupts in the alley behind the funeral home while mourners share illegal alcohol and unauthorized memories. Shockwave moves with velocity that turns combat into physics problem—how do you hit something that can accelerate beyond normal human reaction time?
Ben's shadows provide the answer through coordination that bypasses individual limitations. Traffic King's metal manipulation creates barriers that force Shockwave into predictable movement patterns, while Ezekiel's elastic shadow creates tripwires that even enhanced speed can't entirely avoid.
"Teamwork. Shadow coordination creating tactical advantages that individual abilities couldn't achieve. This is what collection gets me—not just stolen powers, but combined capabilities."
Doppelganger's shapeshifting confusion proves decisive, the rare-tier shadow manifesting as Vought security while Ben flanks through normal human stealth. When Shockwave hesitates for split second to confirm orders from his supposed handler, Ben drives industrial scissors through his throat with precision that enhanced healing can't overcome fast enough.
But when Ben places his hand on Shockwave's cooling corpse and whispers "ARISE," the System rejects the extraction with digital disappointment.
[EXTRACTION FAILED]
[INSUFFICIENT PERSONAL KILL CONTRIBUTION: 45%]
[REQUIREMENT: USER MUST DEAL 60%+ OF LETHAL DAMAGE]
[SHADOW ASSISTANCE EXCEEDED OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS]
[RECOMMENDATION: INCREASE PERSONAL COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS]
The rejection hits like cold water. Ben stares at Shockwave's corpse while his shadows writhe with frustration around resources they can't claim, learning that the System requires personal involvement rather than just tactical coordination.
"Evolution. The System's evolving, requiring more personal investment in killing rather than just orchestrating deaths through shadow proxies. Either I become better killer myself, or my collection stops growing."
Walking away from Shockwave's corpse without a shadow to show for it, Ben processes the reality that he's reached a crossroads—become stronger by maintaining personal involvement in killing, or become dependent on an army that can't grow beyond its current limitations.
Kimiko follows silently, her presence offering kinship that doesn't require explanation or justification. When Hughie asks if Ben's okay, the question feels like concern from someone who's learned to recognize the particular exhaustion that comes from fighting monsters while becoming one.
"Choice point. Either I evolve into someone who kills personally and meaningfully, or I become just another commander sending others to die while keeping my own hands clean."
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: PERSONAL KILLSTREAK]
[OBJECTIVE: ACHIEVE 3 KILLS WITH 60%+ PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION]
[PROGRESS: 0/3]
[KIMIKO RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED: KINDRED SPIRIT/PROTECTOR]
Ben realizes the System won't let him choose both humanity and power—either he maintains personal involvement in violence, or he becomes someone who orders deaths without taking responsibility for dealing them personally.
+1 CHAPTER AFTER EVERY 3 REVIEWS
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
To supporting Me in Pateron .
Love [ The Boys: Supes Hunter System ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ The Boys: Supes Hunter System ] with exclusive access to 25+ chapters on my Patreon, you get more chapters if you ask for more (in few days), plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $5/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [ Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse, Breaking Bad , The Walking dead ,The Hobbit,Wednesday].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!