278 The Boys: Homelander's cruelty, Maeve breaks down leaving everyone to die, a glimmer of hope?

Butcher's call ended abruptly, and Allen stood there, letting out a heavy sigh. After all, he had already done the superhero act once... doing it again shouldn't be too hard, right?

Allen was not comfortable in a superhero suit, though it wasn't unbearable. Still, he preferred not to wear it, even if it was the best option at this time to screw Vought.

The airplane incident was iconic from a viewer's perspective, but for the people in this world, it was a horrible tragedy.

As decided, Allen was prepared to intervene. However, there was a serious problem...

"I don't know how to fly…"

Allen had flown many times before, using different techniques and powers such as ki, cursed energy, and magic. These energies required a process and skill that took him time to understand. But who could teach Allen to fly with Sentry's powers?

With these superpowers, things were different. Allen thought he could handle them, but he didn't have time to practice.

The Chat had overheard his conversation with Butcher and, of course, knew about the plane incident in "The Boys." They didn't want to see so many people die simply because Homelander was too inept to save them.

Kara – This is a problem. Allen, you really can't fly?

"No, I've tried various methods, but there's no reaction. Sentry's energy only surrounds me or circulates within me."

Raven – I use magic to fly... Sorry, Allen, I don't think I can be of much help.

"Don't worry, Rachel."

Starfire – Isn't it just a matter of doing it?

"I don't think it works that way... At least it doesn't respond to my will, desire, or command, not even if I use another average power."

Thor – What should we do?

Tony – Allen, don't you think one of my armors could help?

"It might work, as long as it doesn't exceed the technological level of this world. But Tony, do you think I'm a genius or something? How am I supposed to use a super armor without practice?" (Jarvis didn't work in this world, so autopilot is out).

Kara – Allen, I might have a solution. Can you come for a moment?

"Yeah, I have no problem going…"

MJ – But what about the plane?

"Don't worry. We'll just play around with the relativity of time a bit…"

Allen, or rather, the system, could desynchronize the flow of time, creating a space similar to the Time Chamber from the DBZ world.

"..." Allen sharpened his focus. He needed to learn to fly quickly, or another tragedy would occur.

Allen said goodbye to Annie, telling her he would return in a while. She felt a bit anxious, but Allen reassured her.

"Annie, like many Supes here, everyone makes the mistake of not practicing their powers... If you become more capable with them, you won't need to be afraid."

Starlight lowered her head, remembering how easily she had been dealt with by Black Noir. She had mistakenly believed she was at the level needed to be a superhero.

Annie, no... Starlight gathered her courage and decided to train. Now that she was in a tough spot, she only hoped to increase her strength and at least not be a burden. "I understand... I'll do that!."

Allen smiled, patted Annie on the head, then turned around and entered a portal, leaving Annie stunned.

...

Butcher drove with Frenchie, Hughie, and Mother's Milk to track down the Compound V traffickers.

"Butcher, is it really okay to leave him to do that alone?"

Hughie couldn't help but worry. He was the one who involved Allen, so he felt responsible.

"Calm down, petite Hughie. The guy broke into the Seven's tower and kicked Homelander, Black Noir, and The Deep. He got a pretty girlfriend and walked out like it was nothing," Frenchie laughed while smoking. "Hehe, we're the ones who might die before he does."

"Stop calling me that, and it doesn't matter if Allen is strong. We're leaving the heavy lifting to him!"

Butcher noticed that despite being quite cowardly, Hughie showed courage when it came to Allen.

"If you didn't have a girlfriend, I'd say you like the guy."

Hughie shook his head, feeling it was a waste of time to talk to these two assholes.

"Butcher, Frenchie, stop being so stupid!" Mother's Milk, a robust and dark-skinned man, looked at both of them sternly. "Hughie is risking his life just like any of you, and the least he deserves is a bit of respect."

Frenchie and Butcher clicked their tongues but didn't reply.

"Thanks," Hughie said.

"Don't worry, Hughie. Not all of us are soulless idiots."

The Boys arrived at the location where the Japanese traffickers were supposed to be. What they didn't know was that, in an underground cell, there was a female Supe harboring resentment against those who had imprisoned her.

...

Allen arrived in DC and appeared in the sky over the feared Gotham City.

Allen thought about looking for Ivy, Harleen, Harley, or Barbara, but he didn't have time, so he went directly to Kara's place. When he arrived at her apartment, he knocked on the door.

"I'm coming~" Kara called out. When she opened the door, she smiled while fixing her hair. She looked cute in a blouse and short pants.

"Hello, Kara... Should I be worried that you're not shouting at me this time?"

Kara's eyes widened, and she blinked a couple of times. She couldn't understand Allen's insistence on acting like a villain whenever he came to DC. After all, she had a room in her house, and they practically lived together.

"Idiot." Kara hugged him, then bit his ear with resentment and laughed.

"I'm not sure if this is an attack or flirting," Allen replied as he returned the favor by biting Kara's ear.

"Hm~" Kara let out an involuntary moan, then, embarrassed, her face turned red. "Just follow me and shut up," she said, coughing lightly and leading him by the arm into the living room.

...

Homelander and Maeve arrived at the location of the hijacked plane. Inside, the three hijackers had subdued everyone and taken control of the cockpit in a moment of negligence. This wasn't just a mistake; it was a catastrophe that should never have happened.

At the feet of the passengers lay a dead man; he was the armed special agent assigned to every covert flight.

The agent failed to stop the hijacking. The hijackers managed to take control of the cockpit, and everything went awry. According to national security protocol, Flight 37 was to be shot down by military jets.

Madelyn was able to delay this thanks to her connections, but this would only work for a short time. Butcher, of course, found out about this and would normally treat it as an inevitable event. However, this time he had a plan to intervene.

Butcher, being the bastard he is, leaked information about the hijacked flight to the media against orders. This caused a brief panic, but Butcher made sure that news that Homelander had gone to save the plane was also spread.

This caused cheers and excitement for their great hero, Homelander. Madelyn was confused. This unfolded as she had planned but even faster than she had anticipated. She never thought it was a trap since if Homelander and Maeve saved the plane, it would benefit Vought.

If they failed, the atmosphere would deteriorate, and she could use the card of disaster and remorse to garner sympathy and direct hatred toward the terrorists. The only way to screw Vought and Homelander is if there were survivors if they didn't manage to save them all. Madelyn smiled from her office. She knew Homelander. She had raised him and knew he wouldn't leave witnesses if they damaged his image.

With this in mind, Madelyn poured herself a Martini and awaited good news...

...

Homelander and Maeve flew alongside the plane. A girl who had a Homelander figure saw them and spoke to her mother. Her mother was scared that they might provoke the hijackers, but before the hijackers could notice, the plane's door opened, and one of the hijackers was sucked out due to the air pressure.

All the passengers screamed, but Maeve entered the plane and quickly broke one of the hijacker's necks. Another hijacker who had been hiding among the passengers stood up, showing a clear sign of surrender, but Homelander incinerated his organs with his heat vision.

People screamed in desperation, but Homelander closed the door and addressed everyone.

"Calm down, it's over!" Homelander smiled. "Everything is all right!"

With the superhero's confirmation, everyone cheered and clapped.

Homelander basked in the applause and then looked at Maeve's dissatisfied face. "Give a round of applause for Queen Maeve!"

Homelander and Maeve smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction for dealing with a real crisis for a change.

Of course, it wasn't over yet. There was one more hijacker in the cockpit. They both went to the front and entered, trying to calm the man, but he, feeling his objective was unattainable, decided to crash the plane and shoot the pilot.

Homelander attacked him with his heat vision, slicing him in half, but also destroying the controls and the co-pilot.

Maeve called for control, but it was useless. "Do you know how to fly a plane?"

Homelander glanced at the situation, a mix of mockery and indifference in his expression. "It doesn't matter if I can," he pointed at the burned controls, then turned and walked away.

"All right, everyone stay in your seats!" said Homelander, maintaining his façade and lying about their imminent death.

"You need to get out and lift the plane," Maeve said.

It was a reality in this world that Homelander was much stronger than all the other Supes, including Queen Maeve. Although she could fly, she didn't have the strength to do it.

Homelander rejected the idea. "How? There's nothing to brace against, it's just air inside the plane's shell."

"I don't know, just fly and hit it!" Maeve was desperate and couldn't think clearly.

"Maeve, listen. At that speed, either the plane will flip upside down, or I'd go through the fuselage," Homelander was right. The plane's structure couldn't withstand that much pressure at a single point. However, his negligence caused this situation, and his indifference in speaking suggested that the man did not care about these people.

Maeve realized this and calmed down, but the turbulence made the passengers scream.

"Okay, we'll fly with the passengers and take them to the sea..."

"Maeve, there are over a hundred people who couldn't endure traveling at the speed necessary to save everyone..."

"But..."

"Maeve, it's over..."

The woman's face lost all color as she looked at Homelander, who began walking to the back.

"Please..." Maeve begged.

"Everything is fine!" Homelander kept repeating the same practiced line with his perfect smile, but for the passengers, it was like a bucket of cold water. They understood and saw for the first time what Homelander really was.

"Wait, are they going to abandon us!!"

"No!!"

"Homelander!!"

"Queen Maeve!!"

A girl grabbed the superhero's cape. "Homelander, are you going to save us?"

Homelander knelt. "Of course, sweetheart, I'm going to save you."

A blatant lie with no trace of remorse. Maeve couldn't bear it and grabbed the girl and her mother.

Homelander blocked their way.

"Just them!"

Homelander was annoyed. "You're going to save them and let the whole world know that we let the others die!"

Amidst screams, pleas, and tears, Maeve knew that Homelander wouldn't let anyone be saved.

Maeve looked at the girl and started crying, apologizing. The woman begged and begged to be saved, but Maeve only apologized. Homelander grew tired of acting.

"GET AWAY OR I'LL KILL EVERYONE ONE BY ONE!"

A ruthless threat was the reward for these people.

Homelander approached the door and looked at Maeve. "Don't make me kill you..."

Maeve watched as Homelander exited the plane. She looked at the girl one last time before leaving. With them, Maeve felt she had lost the last shred of her humanity.

Homelander, on the other hand, patted her on the shoulder. "I knew you'd do the right thing!"

They both watched as the plane plummeted, with people screaming from the windows.

The mother held her daughter tightly. The girl dropped the Homelander figure, which was then stepped on by someone.

...

With a broken heart, Maeve glared at Homelander with rage. He laughed.

"Maeve, don't look at me like that. You're just the same!" Homelander's eyes glowed. "This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. You let people die. Stop being a child. THIS IS HOW THE REAL WORLD WORKS!"

Maeve gritted her teeth and refused to watch the plane's end. 'Maybe he's right...' Maeve thought.

A figure passed by them at high speed, breaking the sound barrier multiple times. The shockwave threw them both off course.

"WHAT?!" Homelander yelled, and Maeve looked on in shock.

===

A/N: The next chapter will be amazing.🍷🗿

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