The next morning, Ivan had barely sat down at his desk when he got the call: report to the Vice President's office.
He rode the elevator up, stopped in front of the door marked "Hero Management – Senior Vice President," and knocked. When he heard the okay, he pushed it open.
The second he stepped inside, he saw Madeline behind her desk and Homelander standing right beside her. Ivan's stomach did a quick flip, but his face stayed perfectly calm.
Did that fucking Doppelganger rat me out about last night? he wondered.
Unlikely. And if Homelander wanted him dead, he wouldn't do it inside Vought Tower.
Still, Ivan stayed ready to use his teleportation and vanish in a heartbeat if things went south.
"Greevs, you knocked it out of the park," Madeline said, walking over with a rare smile. She opened a folder and spoke in genuine awe. "Just like Ashley told me. You really are a PR genius."
"Having Doppelganger go live and interact with fans was brilliant. The death rumors died instantly. We even picked up some solid ad deals. Translucent's numbers are now higher than The Deep's."
"It was all because you trusted me with the job," Ivan replied smoothly. "Without your support it wouldn't have gone this well."
His modesty clearly pleased Madeline. Employees like Ivan were rare. Easy to use, no ego, just results.
"You looked a little tense when you first walked in," Homelander said suddenly.
"Yes, I did," Ivan admitted without hesitation. "I don't think anyone can stay completely calm when they see Homelander in person. You're America's hero. The strongest supe alive."
Homelander's lips curled into a pleased smirk.
"I called you up here because Homelander wanted to meet you," Madeline said. "You two talk. I've got somewhere to be."
She grabbed her coat and walked out, leaving Ivan and Homelander alone in the office, staring at each other.
"Now it's just us," Homelander said, flashing that trademark fake smile. "No need to keep pretending."
"You're Edgar's man," Homelander said, voice flat and certain.
Edgar was currently Vought's CEO, though rumors said he was about to retire and Madeline would take the chair.
Ivan didn't deny it. He looked Homelander in the eye and asked, "Did A-Train tell you?"
"Anyone with eyes could see he was juicing on Compound V. As for you, I barely asked before he spilled everything like a little bitch." Homelander stepped to Ivan's right, watching him from the corner of his eye. "I don't care if Edgar sent you to spy on the company or on me. Stay the fuck out of my business. Keep poking around and I'll make you disappear from this planet."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ivan said, face blank. At the same time, he pulled up his internal panel and started analyzing Homelander's powers.
He couldn't stay near the psycho for long, so he picked one ability: Super Physique.
[Talent Skill: Super Physique]
[Fusion Condition: Survive three minutes of Homelander's attacks without dying]
[After fusion: Greatly enhanced physical durability, increased resistance to extreme cold, toxins, and other negative effects. Moderate boost to strength and speed.]
Survive three full minutes against Homelander's attacks? Yeah, fuck that. Ivan immediately dropped the idea. He wasn't nearly cocky enough to try it yet.
"You understand me perfectly, right?" Homelander said. He gave Ivan's shoulder a firm pat, then walked out of the office.
...
Back at his desk, Ivan pulled up Hughie Campbell's file on the computer and memorized the phone number. Then he wiped the search history clean.
Three hours later, at lunch, he finally left Vought Tower.
...
Meanwhile, Butcher was speeding toward the others. From what they'd squeezed out of Shockwave, on the day Translucent died A-Train wasn't chasing bank robbers at all. He was delivering Compound V to some noodle shop.
So Butcher had Hughie, Frenchie, and MM parked in a van watching the place for almost a full week now.
Just then, Frenchie spotted a man who kept going in and out of the noodle shop. There was a clear bulge under his jacket, a pistol tucked into his waistband.
Very fucking suspicious.
"Wait, I've got a call," Hughie said as he stepped out of the van. His phone was buzzing. Unknown number.
"Forget the damn phone," Frenchie hissed. "We can't lose this guy."
"Got it." Hughie hung up and shoved the phone back in his pocket.
Seconds later it vibrated again. He killed the call. After the fourth or fifth time, Hughie finally lost his temper and answered with a low snarl. "Shit, who the fuck is this? If you're a telemarketer I swear to God—"
"Translucent. Electronics store," Ivan said simply on the other end.
"You!" Hughie yelped before quickly clapping a hand over his mouth.
"W-What do you want?"
"Did you find where A-Train makes his deliveries?"
"How the hell do you know that?" Hughie noticed MM and Frenchie shooting him dirty looks. He pulled the phone away for a second. "This guy's important. Let me finish the call and I'll explain later."
Ivan stood on a busy New York street, phone to his ear while he flagged down a taxi.
"You don't need to know how. Just answer the question."
"Not yet, but we've got a suspicious guy. He just walked into a supermarket. I think A-Train's drop point is inside there." Hughie and the others trailed the man from a safe distance.
"Send me the location."
Ivan hung up without waiting for a reply.
On the other end, Hughie watched the suspicious guy slip through an iron door in the corner of the supermarket.
"Hold up," Hughie said as Frenchie moved to pick the lock. "Someone else is coming to help."
"Who?" MM asked, frowning. "Butcher call in extra backup?"
"I don't know who he is, but he's on our side," Hughie replied.
Both Frenchie and MM looked pissed.
"You brought some random asshole into this?" Frenchie growled. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this shit is? Call him right now and tell him to fuck off back where he came from."
Hughie thought about Ivan's terrifying abilities and kept his mouth shut. He didn't dare make the call.
"Little Hughie's got balls smaller than a sparrow," Frenchie mocked. "Maybe you should stay out here and guard the van. Wouldn't want you pissing your pants when things get real."
____
Hughie is still a joke because, unlike in the show, he didn't electrocute Translucent and didn't blow his guts out in this fic. Sorry, Hughie, but Ivan is an asshole like that.
[]~(￣▽￣)~*
Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69