When two telepaths try to read each other's minds simultaneously, especially when one is completely unaware of the other's abilities, it creates a terrifying psychic feedback loop.
Cate reads Erasmus mind as he read her mind as she read his mind. It creates an infinite, instantaneous echo chamber.
But Cate was operating under a massive disadvantage and astronomical pressure. In that split second of total mental connection, she saw through the "Erasmus" mask. She saw Aldrich for what he truly was, tracking the entire gory journey that led him into this very room.
Her eyes widened in pure horror. Her jaw unhinged, her lungs desperately drawing in air as she prepared to scream a warning to Stan Edgar and the Seven.
Aldrich didn't let her. Unlike her, he had the absolute advantage of not requiring physical contact to activate his powers. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his skull, his imaginary hands lunged forward, slamming into her speech centers and freezing her vocal cords mid-breath.
Suddenly, a thick drop of dark red blood leaked from Cate's left nostril. The human brain simply cannot process infinite data loops. Erasmus wasn't spared either; a massive headache slammed into the center of his forehead.
He didn't try to rewrite her entire brain right here; that would take too long and make her head explode in front of Edgar. Instead, he just pushed a heavy, suffocating hypnotic command into her mind, forcing her to stay quiet and compliant until he could meet her later in private.
"Cate?" Edgar's voice cut through the silence. He looked at the girl, noticed the small trail of blood on her lip, and his brow furrowed slightly. "Are you alright?"
Cate blinked slowly, her expression instantly flattening into a dazed, compliant mask. She reached up with a trembling hand, casually wiping the blood away with her sleeve. "Yes, Mr. Edgar. Just... a sudden nosebleed. The altitude in the Tower, I suppose.
Homelander scoffed, completely ignoring the girl's health as he glared back at Edgar. "Really Stan? You could have at least picked someone good for my son."
"I don't mind being that person," Stormfront said from the side, a flashy smile on her face. "I have a lot of followers, and I can teach him a lot."
"He is my son," Homelander intervened. He was extremely annoyed at the thought of Vought trying to separate his son from him, furious that everyone wanted a piece.
"Dad!" Erasmus whispered, leaning into his father. "You're embarrassing me in front of the girl. And she is hot. Stop."
Homelander let out a sudden, booming laugh when he heard the latter part. The heavy tension in his chest evaporated instantly. "That's my boy," he chuckled, clapping a massive hand onto his son's shoulder.
Edgar also smiled when he caught that last part. In his mind, the calculation was simple: once the two teenagers were together, just a single touch from Cate would hopefully give Vought its long-awaited dream. Someone as powerful as Homelander, but with a leash.
"Then why don't you two go get to know each other while we finish up here?" Edgar suggested smoothly.
Erasmus didn't move immediately. He looked at his father for permission first, making Homelander swell with happiness. This was exactly what he wanted, someone whose loyalty belonged to him and him alone.
"Sure, go ahead, buddy," Homelander said, a proud grin splitting his face. "Just make sure you don't do anything rash."
"Dad," Erasmus muttered, throwing him a sharp look.
"I'm just kidding, off you go," Homelander chuckled.
Erasmus got up from his seat and stormfront tracked his movement with a smile, walking over to the smiling, compliant Cate, and the two of them walked out of the boardroom together.
Once they were out, Erasmus immediately started leading the hypnotized Cate around the corridor, casually pretending to show her the floor as they walked together. But what mattered now was survival.
He needed to let Edgar think his elaborate trap had succeeded, completely getting the old man off his back.
At the same time, he could weaponize Cate's presence to create space from his suffocating father whenever his hunting cycles required it.
Turning around, they started walking back toward the conference room. When the heavy doors opened, "Dad," Erasmus called out, his voice smooth and casual. "Cate says she knows an amazing restaurant in Florida called the Rusty Pelican. We're going to go try it, okay?"
Homelander smiled broadly the moment he saw their holding hands, his chest puffing out with pride. But even happier was Stan Edgar, whose eyes locked instantly onto their interlocked fingers. In Edgar's mind, the trap had just snapped shut.
Erasmus let go of Cate's hand for a brief second. He walked over to the head of the table, leaning down to whisper quietly into his father's ear: "Um... I don't have any money, Dad."
Homelander turned his chair around, reached into his suit, and pulled out his custom-made, solid gold Vought card. He slid it straight into his son's hand, his eyes shining. "The PIN number is 0707. Go get her, tiger. Make me proud."