Chapter 13 – A New World

(Former CIA Safehouse – Downtown, New York – 26th September 2022)

The room was quiet as everyone sat around staring at each other. Hughie looked around and saw uncertainty, anxiety, fear and even…. defeat. Shockingly, Lois and Butcher, two of the most difficult people in the world to read, had resigned looks on their faces. Hughie and Lois had driven all through the night to get from rural Kansas to the sprawling metropolis of New York, during which he had received a crash course in counter-surveillance techniques. Lois had 'exchanged' over a dozen vehicles while displaying impressive skills in hotwiring, produced and then expertly assumed twice as many identities, and done it all while avoiding major roads and points of convergence.

However, upon arriving to announce their side of shit news, which amounted to their veil of secrecy having been blown to hell and the Seven openly gunning for them, they were met by worse news. Instead of being greeted by a blank check, guaranteed protection, and legitimacy from the CIA they had been greeted by Butcher's declaration that Raynor had again refused to assist them, even with hard proof. That left everyone in the room adrift and aimless, trying to figure out what to do next.

"We need to stop this," Hughie suddenly found himself speaking, surprising himself as much as everyone else who turned to him.

"You what?" Butcher glanced at Hughie like he had just sprouted another head.

"We need to stop this. I mean, the Seven know about us, the CIA doesn't care, and we're only alive now because Clark and Annie have-" Hughie stood up moving forward to the centre of the group only to be cut off by Butcher.

"You wanna fuckin' quit now?! Right when we have the cunts on the ropes?" Butcher scoffed, shaking his head and standing up to stare down at the smaller man. "Fuck those pricks in suits, and fuck the idiots in spandex. We here are all we need to stop Vought."

"Butcher, it's not just that, it's…..it's all gone wrong, the blood, the bodies, the lies. I don't think we are actually help-" Hughie's voice sounded a lot less confident than he wanted to and he winced when the other man walked towards him.

However, it was not Butcher that cut him off this time.

"But we don't have anyone on the ropes do we?" came Lois' sarcastic monotone, causing Hughie to quickly move out of the way as she looked up and scoffed at Butcher. "We don't have anything. And we don't have what we need to stop Vought… because of you."

The room fell silent. The tension between Lois and Butcher grew stronger. Her fury was cold and meticulous, and she aimed it all at their self-appointed leader. He took a steadying breath to reel in his white-hot rage as his hands formed fists by his side.

"You got something to say, eh? Mind spitting it out?" Butcher returned Lois' narrowed gaze with a glare as he moved forward closing the space between them.

"You fucking child, it's the same shit as last time. You went to Raynor, prize in hand, and because your head is so far up your own ass, you demanded Homelander." Lois scoffed, pushing off from her seat to invade his space in return "You're so focused on Homelander, that you'll let the rest of us burn… just like Mallory's grandkids"

Hughie recoiled as Butcher lunged forward with murder in his eyes, hands reaching for Lois' throat. However, he never reached her as several things occurred at once preventing things from devolving into a scene from a Hitchcock film.

The first was Hughie's reaction had caused him to stumble into a table, which promptly flipped over causing a loud bang that distracted Butcher just enough to slow down his near-inhuman reflexes. The second was MM had shot into action and wrapped his powerful arms around Butcher's torso, halting the man before he could barrel into Lois' smaller frame. The third was the one that stopped everyone in place. Butcher froze as he heard an audible click and the cold, familiar presence of high-strength nylon-based polymer.

"…..Merde" Frenchie swore at the sight of the handgun pressed against Butcher's forehead, held in Lois' steady hand.

If it had been any other situation he would have praised the expert quick draw of his femme fatale companion. The situation, however, most definitely did not call for him to encourage anyone to do anything but stay still. But Serge could read Lois better than anyone and knew that beneath her stern features she was panicking. The woman had reacted only on instinct and was herself trying to de-escalate the situation, all without letting Butcher see her fold.

MM came to the rescue as he slowly released Butcher and turned to face Lois, gently placing his hand on the gun still pressed to Butcher's forehead and pushing it down.

"Now, LL, let's not go making a mess," he spoke softly. Each of his words was accompanied by her handgun lowering a bit each time until it was by her side. "There we go. Now, like it or not, you two are stuck with each other and everyone has a part to play. We cool?"

"Yeah I'm good," Lois replied, uncocking her gun and placing it on the nearby table.

"Butcher?" MM asked, looking pointedly at the man who was taking increasingly steadier breaths.

"Yeah, we're good." Butcher agreed. He took a few steps back from Lois, glancing from her to Hughie.

No one moved or was seemingly willing to speak in the aftermath of the brief standoff. Even Frenchie, who was normally the most jovial of the group, was shifting uncomfortably. MM was standing between them, with a grimace on his face as his mind was clearly working to figure out what to say without sparking anything back up.

"Like I was saying maybe we need to take a step back?" Hughie took a deep breath and moved forward, seizing the silence as his chance to present his argument.

"We can't, Hughie…..." Lois sighed. She knew he wanted desperately to try to reclaim some semblance of a normal life. "The Seven know about us, Vought isn't going to let us go with everything we know. We need protection, for our families and us."

"But Clark and Annie, they ca-" Hughie started moving only to stop in his tracks when Butcher's fist slammed into the table he had retreated back to.

"They're SUPES!" Butcher's anger was palpable as he turned on Hughie, his blow denting the table. "And they've been fuckin playing both of you, that cunt Annie's probably been stringing you along for a laugh whilst jerking off A-Train."

"Jesus, Butcher! Have some decency." Lois shook her head, remembering very clearly one of the most difficult parts of working with the Boys last time was how cruel he could get.

"Decency?" Butcher scoffed as it was his turn to shake his head looking at Lois with condescending pity. "Like that musclehead in a cape that was bonking you. Aw yeah, he turned out to be the honourable sort, tracking us down, telling a bunch of homicidal maniacs who we are and then kicking your arses to the curb. Very decent."

"HEY! That's enough, from all of you!" MM stepped back in sighing as he glared around, for a moment seeming to Hughie like a schoolteacher trying to break up a playground fight. "We need to get our shit together. Now, my family is on the move, but whatever deal your boyfriend cooked up with his Supe pals isn't going to last long. They. Are. Coming. So, I would really like a motherfuckin' plan for how to keep my family safe before they get here and everything goes to shit."

"We could call Cl-" Hughie opened his mouth to pitch his idea of trying to work with Clark again, only for the loud ringing of his phone to cut him off.

He scrambled to take it out of his pocket ignoring the looks he got from everyone, and his heart surged, wishing it was Annie returning one of the dozen messages he had left. His hopes were dashed however when he saw it was his dad calling. Hughie had, had to strong-arm him into packing and get ready for Lois' contact to pick him up after they retrieved MM's family. So he was likely calling to try and talk to him again and try to figure out why his son suddenly wanted him bundling up his stuff and get picked up by a complete stranger.

"Dad this isn't a great time, I know you don't want to but please, you need to be ready to go. I will explain everything once-"

"Hey, Hughie. Long time no talk my man!" The upbeat jovial very-much-not-his-father's voice cut him off, causing Hughie's blood to go cold. "You know, I've been thinking about you a lot lately."

"Who is this?" He asked, even though he already had recognised exactly who it was and was praying with every fibre of his being that he was wrong.

"Oh Hughie, I'm insulted. I thought you'd remember. You've spent so much time obsessing over me, right?" A-Train's voice seemed oddly upbeat and off tempo, Hughie swore he could even hear the Supe's irregular heartbeat as well through the phone. "Shit, sorry, where are my manners? Your dad wants to say hi!"

"Oh, hey, hey, hey Hughie….Um, are you okay? Why is he here? He says you're in some kind of trouble." Campbell senior's voice was strained and Hughie could tell his father was trying to be brave for his son as his voice threatened to shake. "….He's also acting very stra-"

"Okay, enough of that." A-Train's voice returned to the phone as the phone was snatched from the elder Campbell's hand. "Your old man is fine, for the moment. If he stays that way is up to you."

"A-Train, listen to me. He's on Medicaid. He's harmless, he doesn't know anything." Hughie's voice threatened to break as he watched the Boys around him start scrambling with MM moving over to his laptop and Lois pulling out her phone to call her contact. "Please don't do anything. Clark is sorting this out, I'm sure he'd tell that…"

"THE BOY SCOUT ISN'T FUCKING HERE!" A-Train's explosion of anger was so loud that Hughie winced and almost dropped the phone, it was also followed by silence and just heavy breathing. "…..You're dealing with me, and I've been given the green light to fuck you like you've been fucking us…..and besides, Clark is going to be a little too occupied to care about a piece of shit like you."

A tapping drew Hughie's eyes upwards and saw that Lois was scribbling on a pad that she turned around to face him. Instructions were written in large clear block letters that he could see and for some reason helped calm his nerves.

Dad = Hostage (safe for now)

Stay calm take it slow

Ask what he wants.

"W-what do you want?" Hughie took a deep breath controlling his nerves as he moved over to Lois.

"Get your ass over here in 20 minutes, or I'll burst him like a piñata. Just like your girlfriend." A-Train's voice slowed as he delivered the ultimatum, the jovial nature seemed subdued and even Hughie could tell A-Train was following orders. "and Hughie, come alone. I catch a whiff, a whiff of your fuckin' little asshole friends I will…"

"I got it!" Hughie cut off the speedster, his anger spiking as he gripped the phone so tight it almost shattered in his hand.

"Be quick, you don't want to miss Remington Steel." A-Train scoffed before abruptly hanging up the phone

Hughie just let the phone drop from his hands and fall to the floor as he felt the blood rush from his face and gather into the pit of his stomach. He felt that the world was ending and turned to face the two people in the world that at the moment was his only hope.

"A-Train's going to kill my dad." Hughie managed to eke out trying to keep the swirling void that was in his stomach from bursting forth.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Lois moved forward placing her hands on Hughie's shoulder which steadied him enough to give her a nod, she then turned glancing at Butcher before addressing the room. "Okay, MM you go meet Lucy en route, get your family here and secure. Frenchie, go to the steel mill and get the stash, we're going to need it."

"What should I do, I need to get my dad!" Hughie asked, feeling his guts lurch upwards and lodge in his throat.

"Go get your dad, take The Female with you," Butcher spoke up. Despite the situation, the man seemed oddly calm and eerily focused, as if the crisis for him was nothing more inconvenient than bad weather.

"A-Train said he would kill my dad if I showed up with any-" Hughie's panic spiked as he turned to Butcher who just raised a hand cutting off the younger man.

"A-Train's mind is fuckin' scrambled eggs at the moment Hughie, and even when it ain't he's about as perceptive as an armless blind man." Butcher scoffed, recalling the old times when the Boys had literally sat next to the speedster and never been noticed. "Besides, I'm guessing a former opium smuggling, child-knapping member of the Shining Light Liberation Army can go unnoticed by a smackhead?"

Kimiko stoically raised her middle finger towards the other man before being nudged gently by Frenchie, causing her to roll her eyes, nod at Butcher, and then give Hughie a small smile.

"Good, now you two best get going. A-Train may be a junkie idiot, but in my experience junkies tend to get twitchy fast and then do something stupid." Butcher didn't have to wait for his order to be followed as Hughie quickly scooped up his phone from the floor and made for the door only to be stopped by a raised arm. "Oh and take that extra vial of V shit we've got. The great thing about dope fiends is that they'll fuck over their best friend and themselves for a hit, makes for great leverage."

Hughie's eyes widened slightly before he nodded in understanding and made sure to grab the insurance policy as he and Kikmo left. MM was soon after them, he opened his mouth to speak to Butcher but held his tongue instead glancing at Lois and giving her a look before he moved out with Frenchie also glancing in her direction before leaving.

"What are you gonna do?" Butcher turned, the two of them alone apart from the sidearm that still sat on the table next to her.

"What I always do, snoop around and stick my nose in other people's business. Find out what A-Train means by Clark being 'too occupied to care' " Lois' mind started raking over everything she knew, and A-Train's sudden aggression just didn't add up; they were missing something. "Speed freak may be an idiot but this is a serious move to make, especially with Clark still on the board"

"Unless your boyfriend finally decided to give up the act and show the monster underneath." Butcher shot back, crossing his arms and frowning.

Lois just rolled her eyes and sighed, not engaging the taunt she knew that Butcher didn't fully believe and only did to piss her off. She was silent for a few moments before she let out another deep sigh and then looked Butcher square in the eye.

"No bullshit now. You need to go back to Raynor and take the deal." Lois made sure not to back down an inch under his glare, one of the few people in the world able to do so. "We are well and truly neck deep in it now. We need protection, otherwise, we are fucked."

"...I can't Lois, I fuckin' can't" Butcher managed to spit out the words breaking off from Lois's gaze and sighing. "You know what that cunt took from me, what I've done to get this far. I can't."

"Butcher if you don't…..It won't be us," Her words caused him to look back up, his face falling as he knew where she was going with this. "It will be Mallory's family all over again, but this time it'll be MM's wife and kid, Hughie's dad, and likely my sis and dad. Not to mention whoever Frenchie still has out there…..you need to do the right thing."

"...And what if I still can't?" Butcher finally asked with a deep sigh looking away again, after a few moments of staring at Lois.

Lois just looked at the man and instead of replying merely moved forward and placed a hand on his shoulder before turning and leaving. Butcher's head slowly rose and he watched Lois go, he felt a deep breath escape from his lips as his hand moved to his pocket and took out his phone. He stopped for a moment before making the leap and typing in Raynor's number, a feeling of bile on his tongue hating that he now had to swallow crow.

Lois' mind however was already far afield. Numbers, figures and contacts ran through her head as she also pulled out her phone. '...What in the world could A-Train, Vought or the Seven do to distract Superman?"

(Campbell apartment - The Bronx - 5 minutes later)

Hughie was trying to steady his heart rate and get his lungs under control as his hand took the door handle to his childhood home in hand. He was also in that moment trying to recall everything he had learnt about self-control, crisis management and how to deal with the craziness that was his life now. However, the only two voices in his head at the moment were Lois and Butcher, and neither was giving any inspiring pieces of advice.

Lois' voice merely stated: 'Remember to exhale and focus', which wasn't helpful as they were the only two things he was doing.

Butcher's voice however merely countered with: 'Don't be a cunt.'...He really hated the guy's approach to motivating people.

Hughie somehow however managed to steady himself before pulling the door open and striding inside, resisting placing his hand in his pocket unless the action spooked the already jumpy super-addict. As he moved forward, his mind was both relieved and spiked with panic as nothing seemed out of the ordinary and there were no signs of a struggle. His eyes immediately went to the sole man in the room, his dad, who was biting his nails and pacing slightly in the small space that was their living room.

"Hughie," His dad's shoulders sagged with relief and he smiled despite the situation.

"Dad, you okay?" Hughie asked moving towards his dad but stopped as he heard a noise from his room.

"He's acting strange. Really…jumpy and hyper." Campbell senior whispered frantically, nodding off to the side room before edging closer. "I don't think he's well. He's sweating buckets, keeps talking to himself and keeps saying the name Charlotte."

"Heh-HEY! Look who finally showed up! and Look at what I got!" A-Train suddenly appeared in the kitchen with an armful of merchandise that Hughie recognised, including a mint-in-box action figure of the superhero himself. "Special 2016 Comic Con Edition? They only made a few hundred of these guys! You were a fan! And not, like, a dabbler but you were like super fan 99!"

"Excuse me, sir! What is this?" Campbell senior stepped forward as if trying to move between A-Train and his son but not confident or sure enough yet to commit to the act.

"Shut the fuck up!" A-Train rounded on the elder man, his breathing becoming erratic as he grip on the action figure causing it to crumple into pieces.

"Dad, it's gonna be okay," Hughie gave his dad a reassuring look before pausing and moving closer to the speedster causing A-Train to redirect his focus onto Hughie. "Hey. I came alone, you let him go."

"Alone huh?" A-Train eyed Hughie before suddenly vanishing in a blur only to pop right back behind Hughie causing him to jump.

The moment of shock quickly ended for Hughie and he found himself surprisingly calm, chalking it up to all the near-death experiences he had had in the last few days alone. Who knew that constant sheer terror as a mode of existence had its benefits? However, Hughie also found himself examining A-Train now that his mind wasfree of shock and terror, allowed him to see something his old self would have missed.

A-Train was sweating.

The speedster really didn't look well at all. With his shades off, the man's eyes were clearly bloodshot, his pulse was also visible on his neck through a set of bulging veins, and he was breathing heavily like he had just run a dozen marathons in a row.

"Wow! You really did come here alone." A-Train managed to get out, trying to sound confident but to Hughie seemed so out of it he was certain that he probably hadn't actually checked, and likely hadn't been able to go out of the building let alone check the block. "Next time – Well there's not going to be a next time — but next time have at least a few cards up your sleeves."

"Okay," Hughie's sudden calm voice stopped the speedster dead in his tracks, as he casually took a case out from his pocket and withdrew a syringe filled with blue liquid from it. "You mean, something like this?"

A-Train's whole body went stiff as his eyes widened at seeing the syringe, his mouth suddenly went dry and was resisting the urge to shake with pleasure at the mere thought of the V in his veins.

"Jonesing for a little jet fuel?" Hughie asked, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Wha-What is that?" Campbell senior asked from his place in the living room. He nervously saw how close A-Train was to his son.

"I dunno what that shit is." A-Train sucked in a gasp of air and responded, rolling his neck as he tried to resist the itching, burning sensation in his head.

"Oh, you don't?" Hughie's smirk grew wider as he knew he had the Supe, so decided to push his buttons by spilling some of the V at his feet. "So you don't mind if I do this..."

"No, fuck!" A-Train moved forward looking like he was ready to lick the V off the floor but stopped himself as his whole body tensed. " What the fuck is wrong with you? DO YOU KNOW HOW GOOD THAT SHIT IS?!"

"I have a bigger dose. I have a real dose hidden somewhere outside." Hughie raised his hand calmly almost like a trainer to a dog as he kept A-Train at bay with the drug as both treat and punishment. "Let him go, I hand it over, and then you can do whatever you want with me. Now tell me what's better, the rush or knowing that, as long as you take it, you'll be the fastest? Well, almost the fastest?"

A-Train looked ready to rush Hughie and obliterate the little man, but his brain and veins were begging him to do it, just for a taste.

"If you try anything, I can catch up to dear old daddy in a millisecond."

"Dad, time to go." Hughie quickly ordered not taking his eyes off his dad for a moment.

"Not without you." Campbell senior stated with such force and certainty that it caused Hughie to look at his dad never having heard his dad sound anything like that.

"I'll be right behind you." Hughie gave his dad a smile and nod trying to show it was alright.

"I am not leaving you with him! All right?!" The senior Campbell declared with such ferocity that A-Train actually took a step back from the anger of the ordinary guy behind him. "You're just a kid. You're my kid. And I am not leaving."

"Dad." Hughie's voice caused his dad to really look at him and see certainty and confidence in Hughie that had never been there before. "I'll be alright. I got this. Go."

Campbell senior looked at Hughie, then at A-Train. He trembled, fearful for his only son, before deciding to trust him. He moved to the door and paused just long enough to look back before leaving, not confident he could go if he kept looking at his son. The moment the older man left, A-Train rounded back on Hughie. His bloodshot eyes narrowed as he felt his chest about to explode in anticipation of the oncoming high.

"All right, where is it?" A-Train asked. All his focus was on the kid in front of him.

"You know, this shit must be pretty good if it's worth running through a human being for." Hughie stated with no small amount of disgust.

"Oh, my God, man, that was an accident." A-Train groaned dismissing Hughie with a wave and a shake of his head. "Where the fuck is the V?!"

"That accident had a name." Hughie spat back his voice oddly calm. He felt the anger and rage building in him.

"And what about Popclaw? She had a name, too. Charlotte! The only good thing in my life is gone now." A-Train's voice cracked as he fired back. He moved away from Hughie, his heart beating 100 miles a second as his brain begged for a hit. "What is this, man? I kill your girlfriend and you kill mine?!"

"I didn't kill your girlfriend," Hughie responded in genuine confusion having no idea what A-Train was rambling about.

"You used her. You put her in danger, and then you threw her out like she was fucking garbage!" A-Train yelled back as his mind started to flood with images of Charlotte sitting at that table with needles jacked into her arms. His eyes then glared and huffed, trying to push those images away as he focused on the sole person who caused his life to go to hell. "How does this not all start with you, Hughie? The only difference between you and me is that I made a mistake. The shit that you did was on purpose. So who's worse?"

His mind tried to blend his self-loathing with what he had done with the need for a fix he was feeling. Luckily for A-Train both had an outlet in the form of the skinny, weak man that was standing in front of him. This punk was the one responsible for Charlotte's death, not him, he was the one that just couldn't stay in his lane and get over a fucking accident!

However, as A-Train moved to strike, a blur lashed out from behind him. His world quickly turned to searing pain as his right leg splintered under a blow from Kimiko's crowbar.

"ARRRGHH! You bitch!" A-Train cursed as he gripped his shattered leg looking in horror at the bone protruding out of his thigh. "I'll fuckin kill you!"

"You know, you're right." Hughie smirked, taking more satisfaction than he wanted to in A-Train's pain, however, his mind pushed that to one side as he looked down at the injured supe. "It would've been stupid to come alone."

(Former CIA Safehouse – Downtown, New York - One hour later)

Hughie's hand was shaking as he splashed water on his face and gasped for air, trying to centre himself after his encounter with A-Train. Everything had gone to plan, MM and his family had arrived safe, he and Kimko had got his dad away from A-Train, and Frenchie had picked up enough weapons that their hideout looked like an armoury. Even Butcher had reappeared from wherever he had vanished off to whilst he was getting his dad. The only person missing was Lois.

Hughie's eyes went to the new occupant of the room and the only one he had not met, Lucy Lane. When Lois had talked about and offhandedly mentioned her little sister, Hughie had pictured some sort of mini version of Lois, not GI Jane who stood unmoving like a statue by the exit. Lucy Lane was undeniably Lois' sister. With the same facial features and brunette hair, they looked so similar that if Hughie hadn't been told he would have thought them twins.

However, the two sisters were also vastly different. Hughie knew Lois was athletic and stronger than she looked, but anyone looking at Lois saw a celebrity reporter, dressed in work suits or party dresses with a curvaceous figure, an image willingly played up at times. Lucy, however, was muscled, toned and even in the suit she was wearing it was clear she was a woman of action. She still possessed a similar body type to Lois but where her sister played up her curves Lucy played on her stature. It was also the air around the two of them was different. Although Lois scared him sometimes, he did like her. She was friendly, smiled easily and was someone who made you feel safe. Lucy was none of those things from what Hughie could tell, the woman didn't smile, her eyes searched the room constantly and although he felt protected in her presence there was no warmth or kindness in it.

Hughie's eyes moved away from Lucy and lingered on his phone next to him, he took a deep breath and picked it up. His head was spinning although Lois and Butcher had both told him that they had burnt those bridges his mind still went to Annie and Clark. He knew it was probably naive but he knew what he felt about Annie and he knew the type of person she was if she knew the truth about everything she would help. Clark too, although Hughie's neck was still sore from where the Supe had grabbed him, he had never felt in danger with him, and the fact that he had let them go said everything he needed to know.

His hand hovered over Annie's name in his speed dial list, he took a quick glance over at Butcher and saw the man was busy cleaning a rifle. With the coast clear, Hughie took a deep breath and pressed her name before clutching the phone tight to his ear as he moved into a corner for privacy. As he did so he was suddenly met by Kimiko's eyes causing his blood to freeze, and his heart to pause. Luckily, the female Supe just gave him a smile and moved towards Frenchie.

"Hi. You've reached Annie. I can't come to the phone right now but please leave a message."

Hughie sighed as the automated message suddenly played even before the second dial tone rang out, causing him to hang up. He shouldn't have been surprised if Annie was still reeling from Clark telling her about him and The Boys, it was going to take more than a day. Just as he was putting his phone back into his pocket, he saw everyone in the room apart from Butcher tense, as the sound of a dozen speeding vehicles screeched to a halt outside.

"Merde!" Frenchie cursed as he looked out of the window and saw a fleet of unmarked SUVs pulling up outside their hideout. "We have company, mes amies!"

Frenchie rushed backwards slamming open a crate that he had brought and taking out one of the largest assault rifles Hughie had ever seen, which he promptly threw to MM. Hughie also found himself being armed as another large assault rifle flew toward him, which he caught awkwardly and found himself holding badly as he took up a position next to his dad by the sofa. MM was quick to move into position right next to his own family and then drew a sidearm and offered it to Butcher.

"Butcher, here, take it," MM glanced at his friend and then to the door where he was expecting any minute a stream of hostels to come pouring through, however as he looked back he could see Butcher was sat relaxed and uncaring. "Butcher, take the piece."

"Fuckin' hell, calm down." Butcher sighed, taking a sip of the tea he had next to his rifle before standing up and walking casually over to the door, which he opened and then exited through.

"What the fuck is he doing?!" Frenchie looked over to MM who just shrugged, equally confused, his grip slackening on his weapon.

"All right, easy lads. Easy." Butcher reappeared being trailed for a squad of soldiers and a woman in a suit that Hughie had never seen before.

Butcher quickly gestured for the Boys to lower their weapons which they all quickly did. Hughie breathed a sigh of relief as he carefully laid down the weapon that was giving him a hernia just holding it. Butcher quickly moved back over to his table and kicked his chair out, retaking his seat, and leaning back in it whilst taking up his cup of tea again.

"MM, good to see you again." Raynor moved forward sharing a nod, then walked over to Lucy who for the first time ever to Butcher's and MM's eyes shifted uncomfortably. "Agent Lane, you're looking well for a woman apparently under the weather."

"Yes ma'am, must have been that 48-hour bug ma'am." Lucy replied, straightening herself up and looking her boss right in the eye.

"Hmmm….must be." Raynor looked at Lucy for a moment before refocusing her attention on MM, Frenchie and Hughie. "Your families are going to be okay, you have my word."

"Thank you." MM gave Raynor a grateful nod as she moved off gathering all of the Boys families, MM watched her go and then moved over to Butcher who sat sipping his tea. "You actually called her? You are a human being after all."

"Well, let's not get carried away." Butcher smirked as he took another drink and looked up to MM before giving him a grateful nod of his head.

"Thanks, man." MM placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Satisfied, he moved off to say goodbye to his family.

Butcher watched the whirlwind of emotional goodbyes occurring around him. MM's marriage was on the rocks to put it mildly, and Hughie's dad gave him a proud hug. Butcher's eyes lingered on MM and Monique for a moment; their embrace caused his mind to flicker back to his Becca for a moment.

"Butcher," Raynor's voice caused him to break out of his musing, as he turned to look at the woman who just had her hand outstretched.

Butcher sighed. He felt a headache and a grimace coming on. "...No Homelander?"

"No Homelander." Raynor stated firmly shunting her hand forward so that Butcher couldn't ignore it. "We had a deal. Apart from him and Superman, everyone else is fair game. Do you want this or not?"

Butcher took a deep breath and forced himself to stay silent and instead just placed his hand into his pocket and removed the vial of V he had. He held it for a moment looking at the blue liquid almost as if it was taunting him, and anger swelled in his heart. However, before that darker part of him could take control he passed the vial to Raynor, he quickly glanced at her their eyes connecting before Butcher broke it off. Raynor didn't say anything as she just looked at the vial and fought off the urge to smile at finally coming out on top. Instead, she merely gave Butcher a nod and moved off.

Butcher watched her go, followed closely by Lois' sister who trailed Raynor like a lapdog, the thought caused Butcher to smirk. Despite everything between him and his teammate, when it came to the Lane sisters Butcher much preferred Lois to Lucy. She was a pain in the ass, questioned him constantly and the two had nearly killed each other more than once but Lois was also reliable, steady under pressure and thought for herself. Lucy was just a soldier, a very good one Butcher would admit, but nothing more. He had met a thousand Lucys in his time, boys and girls who followed daddy into the military as a family career and then signed up to be a Birdwatcher with the likes of the CIA or MI6 just to keep daddy happy.

However, watching Lucy go did cause him to glance around the room, he had expected Lois to be back before him, and was troubled that she wasn't…..where the hell was she?

(Several hours later)

Butcher was watching Frenchie and MM loading up their weapons into their van for their move to their new CIA-provided safehouse when he saw Lois arrive. She all but rammed her car into the sidewalk with such speed and urgency that the other two men almost had to leap out of her way. Butcher's eyes immediately started scanning the sky and the surrounding buildings fearing that her clear urgency was a result of immediate danger.

"Has Raynor been here?!" Lois asked, clearly out of breath, as she tore herself from her car seat and rushed over to the Boys.

"You missed her, she came and went a few hours ago." Butcher responded with his eyes moving for the clear skyline and buildings to the woman in front of him. "We were about to head to our new base. Why?"

"NO!" Lois' voice was almost hysterical as she practically gripped Butcher's shirt. "We can't, we have to leave right now and go fucking dark. We are on our own, Vought fucked us!"

"Lois, what the fuck happened? Where have you been?"

MM moved over with Frenchie the two having dropped the crate they were carrying, his eyes glancing between Lois and Butcher.

Lois just stared at the man confused and then slowly looked to everyone else "You guys haven't seen the news yet have you?"

"No, we've been a little busy. Why, what's happened?" Butcher's eyes narrowed as he felt a deep sinking feeling enter the pit of his stomach, knowing that nothing good was coming.

"Vought just made themselves America's only hope and fucked the rest of us." Lois responded by pulling out her phone and opening the first news app she could, turning it to show the live report coming through.

Super Villains Attacking Los Angeles?

Superman Currently Embattled!

(Kent Mansion - Los Angeles, California -Earlier in the day)

Clark was standing on the balcony overlooking the quiet and peaceful city that, even given his extended absence, had remained the safest place in America. He breathed in the cool September air that seemed worlds away from the hot, polluted air of New York and the fresh unmoving air of Kansas. Clark almost chuckled at the oddity which was the fact that it was here, in a mansion he had never wanted, in a city he had no choice in choosing, that he would find his one refuge from the world.

Kansas was causing his stomach to sink every time he thought of it. He had gone back to the Kent farm after his meeting with Homelander and the Seven, and his childhood home just wasn't as comforting as it used to be. He had also tried talking his mother into moving in with him, however his Ma had shot down that idea faster than he could fly, declaring that nothing could make her abandon her home. He had then raised the option of him moving back for a while, ostensibly to help run the farm but in reality to look after her and keep her protected.

However, his Ma had reacted strangely to that suggestion, she had merely caressed his cheek and looked at him lovingly before telling him. "Oh my sweet boy, you got too big for Smallville a long time ago."

His mother had then said nothing more on the matter and merely listened to him when he talked about Lois, Hughie and everything that had gone on. His Ma had again said little and merely made him a cup of coffee, letting him vent his frustrations at the world. Which of course now caused his mind to turn to New York.

New York, that city seemingly held nothing but headaches and problems for him. It seemed to have become a literal hellmouth, spitting forth endless problems and challenges, each one creating a dozen more when he tried to fix them. His mind, as it always did when thinking of New York, returned to Homelander, the world's greatest hero…..and greatest threat. He had tried keeping tabs on the blonde powerhouse since he had left New York but discovered that John's movements were almost as erratic as his mind.

He had criss-crossed all over New York and the eastern seaboard in a seemingly random pattern. The only two places that he had returned to had been the Seven Tower and a property in upstate New York belonging to Jonah Vogelbaum, Vought's former chief scientist. It deeply troubled Clark as he failed to figure out what John was up to, and seeing as the two of them had practically thrown down the gauntlet it was not a good sign.

"Master Kent," The sound of the house's AI Keelex broke Clark from his musings and turned his focus back indoors. "I am sorry to disturb you but you have a guest, she is currently in your kitchen and is asking to see you."

Clark raised an eyebrow and then re-entered his home. The doorbell and intercom hadn't gone off. There were only four people who had unrestricted access to his home: Annie, his Ma, Aunt Mary and…..Lois. He felt his heart jump at her name, as images of wavy hair and smile appeared in his head that he quickly shoved to one side. Now was not the time to try and figure out the mess which was his feelings towards her.

"Claaaark! Heeeeyyy! There you are, I was starting to think I got the wrong house!" Annie's slightly slurred voice sounded out as he entered his kitchen.

The scene before him caused him to freeze. Annie was standing in her new version of her costume, sloppily pouring herself a flute of champagne from the already half-empty charity bottle that Clark had gotten from opening a children's hospital last year. As if her inebriated manner and racy costume wasn't bad enough, the front zipper of Annie's costume was only half done, creating a plunging V neck down to her belly button. However, what caused him really to freeze was the teasing smile and lingering eyes she was giving him.

"Annie? How did you get here?" Clark asked moving into the kitchen quickly, pushing the mostly-empty bottle of champagne out of reach but wasn't able to stop her drinking the glass in her hands.

"You gave me an acc-ac-ac, a um code thingy when I was here last," Annie replied, stuttering her words as she downed the glass and tried to reach for the bottle that Clark pushed away from her whilst giving her a questioning look.

"Oh, you mean in LA! I used the private jet, did you know that each member of the Seven has access to a private jet? I didn't! But man are they well stocked." Annie giggled as she swayed on her seat, almost falling off only for Clark to catch her.

"Okay, let's get you some coffee," Clark sighed as he tried to steady Annie on her seat but found she clung to him, one hand grabbing his forearm and the other going to his chest.

"Wow, you really are the Man of Steel." Annie teased running her hand down his chest so she could feel under the shirt he was wearing. "I mean I've seen it a little, but wow!"

Clark suddenly felt a chill go down his spine as Annie's hand started to approach his waist, although he hated to admit it a part of him found it pleasing. However, that part was very quickly and very definitively shot down by the rest of him. One look at Annie and Clark could tell that she was in no way in control of her actions, not to mention she smelled like a liquor store.

Annie had clearly decided to drown her sorrows regarding Hughie and everything that was happening, and although he didn't like it he couldn't blame her. Her drunk state and heightened emotional state also meant that her inhibitions were probably at an all-time low, and so was why she was choosing to make a pass at him. In truth, the only thing that had surprised him about the whole situation was that Annie had managed to cross the country in her current state.

"Annie, come on, you really need some-" Clark managed to get her to stand up but cut himself off as he felt a wave of heat over his chest while the lights in the room flickered.

As he looked down he saw that Annie had indeed used her powers, she had unleashed a quick blast against his shirt causing the front to be immediately disintegrated. Clark let out a sigh, for anyone else the action would have blown a hole through them but for Clark, it had merely left him barechested to the world. He had no time to react, however, as Annie suddenly shoved him backwards, the unexpected action caused him to collide with his fridge which crumpled, which was then followed by Annie jumping him. Clark for a moment couldn't react as Annie straddled him, the shock causing his brain to simply stop, her hand went to her top and started to completely unzip her costume, it was only when he felt her drunken lips trying to devour his face that sense returned to him.

"Annie, enough!" Clark grabbed her by her arms, and he forcefully yet carefully pushed Annie away from him holding her way from him. "Please, you're dru-"

"COME ON! DO IT!" Annie's sudden declaration caused Clark to freeze as he saw tears welling in her eyes. "Just do it! Everyone else has used me! Fucked with me! Why not you too?! Why can't I get something I want for once!"

"Oh god…..Annie" Clark gently placed her on her feet again, he looked at her as she started to break down in tears of confusion. "Annie listen to me, I am so sor-"

Blargh!

Clark was cut off for a third time, not by powers or words but the fact she had vomited the alcoholic contents of her stomach onto his feet. The room was silent for a moment, Annie's eyes went wide as she looked up at Clark to speak, ready to apologise only to suddenly….Glurgh! Augh! Blehh!

He suppressed a chuckle as he moved over, deciding to hover slightly in order to avoid the large pool that was forming on the floor. He gently took Annie by the shoulders and manoeuvred her first to the sink and then when she was a bit more stable went to get a bucket so he could move her to the bathroom.

(Many hours later)

Annie was groggy when she finally managed to open her eyes, it was the smell of sweetened french roast that finally roused her, a cup of which was the first thing she saw on the bedside table. She immediately regretted the action as she felt a hundred tiny woodpeckers hammering at her brain in protest. They were somewhat pacified by the coffee that she downed once she managed to get her hands on it and thanked god for the relief.

Her relief was short-lived as she suddenly became aware of several factors. The first and most alarming was she was naked, costume strewn over a chair in the corner of the room and spare clothing left for her at the foot of the bed. The second was that she wasn't in her own bed, and in fact knew whose room she was in. The final and most mortifying was the vague memory she had of kissing Clark whilst burning his shirt off which sent ice shooting through her veins.

Annie moved like lightning as she started to get dressed in the clothes that Clark had left for her and cursed herself for being an idiot. She had been majorly upset with Hughie and had decided that ice cream wasn't going to cut it so she had indulged in a little wine, which had turned into a lot of wine, and then somehow had spiralled from there. She also recalled wanting or more accurately needing to apologise to Clark, for blowing up at him. However, how she had gotten from that drunk thought in New York to being naked in his bed in LA alarmed her.

She crept downstairs with her costume tucked under one arm as she debated whether she should just keep creeping and escape out the front door to leave whatever had happened here a mystery. Her eyes were even on the door and her feet started moving towards it when Clark's voice sounded out.

"Breakfast is on the table," Annie winced and turned to see that Clark was sitting on his sofa with a full morning spread laid out before him, the delicious smell of food calling to her.

Annie sighed and moved into the living room, her eyes going first to the food as her stomach grumbled and then to Clark who was sitting wearing a new shirt as he read a series of files. She grabbed a plateful, poured herself another cup of coffee which she drank, then looked at Clark again. Sitting on the same sofa as him but making sure there was plenty of distance between the two of them.

"Um, Clark…..did we, um…." Annie stumbled over her words as she awkwardly shifted.

Clark gave her a small smile and closed the file he was reading. Laying it on the table, allowing Annie to see it was on a person named Marvin T. Milk.

"No, we didn't." Clark reassured her by moving forward to take the pot of coffee from the table and pour her another glass. "And before you asked, I didn't see anything. After we got your stomach…settled…. you um, slammed the door on me then stripped off your costume and proceeded to take over my bed."

"Oh….good," Annie returned his smile, feeling both relieved and oddly a little disappointed as well, but was quick to cover that up. "Sorry about that, I guess I'm still working through some things."

"No need to apologise," Clark just smiled at Annie and then moved to eat some of the food he had cooked to hopefully make her feel less awkward. "Although next time if you could avoid burning any more of my favourite shirts that would be great."

"Oh god, please don't let there be a next time." Annie chuckled as she quickly drank more coffee feeling a little less awkward that he was comfortable making jokes about her actions.

The two sat in silence for a while, which was a blessing that helped Annie slowly start to get over her hangover. Clark for his part was reading over the files he had trying to figure out where Lois, Hughie and this team of theirs were likely hiding or would head to next. Identifying them had been the easy part, finding them was a different matter, especially a group comprised of such highly-skilled individuals.

"How are you doing?" Annie's sudden question caused Clark to pause and look at his friend, Annie was watching him with a slight reticence. "I mean, I've been a shitty friend. I've unloaded all this stuff on you and ignored the fact that you're in the same boat. So how are you doing with Lois? With everything?"

Clark was quiet for a few moments as He looked away from Annie and for the first time in the last few days actually focused on the whirl of emotions clashing inside his head, until eventually he let out a sad chuckle.

"...You know what the saddest part of all of this is?" Clark asked, releasing a deep sigh as he turned back to look at Annie.

"That you still want to be with them." Annie replied knowing what Clark's issue was as it was the same as hers, the fact that even after everything she still wanted Hughie.

"Yeah….." Clark whispered as he just turned away from Annie and stared off into the distance. "The worst thing is… is that I get her. I understand her. I don't agree with what she's done but she's not completely wrong. If she walked in here right now, I don't know what I would do, I really don't."

Annie watched Clark closely, and for the first time ever suddenly realised just how human her friend was. It was so easy to put him on a pedestal, to act like he was this heroic god who could do no wrong, she had done it, it's why she had exploded at him regarding Hughie. I mean, how could Superman fail to tell her about her boyfriend's double life, how could the Man of Tomorrow not protect her from this dark world they found themselves in?

However, the answer was obvious, because in truth Superman didn't exist, he wasn't real. He was this thing Clark had created to give people hope, a tool that her friend had made and the world had latched onto so tight that they forgot that there was a man beneath the suit. Why hadn't Superman told her? Simple, because in her rage and anger she had forgotten that in the space of 24 hours Clark Kent had buried his father, dealt with the world wanting a piece of his grief for a news story and then discovered his own girlfriend was part of a vigilante hit squad.

In truth, she was amazed by the fact that he had managed to cope as well as he had, and hadn't exploded at someone or put his fist through a building.

"Clark, I'm sorry. No, please, I need to say this. Clark, you've been the greatest friend I've ever had and it's not fair that I unload on you all the time" Annie apologised moving closer to her friend who opened his mouth to refute her need to apologise but she cut him off before he could do so. "You know I sometimes forget how even with everything you do, you're still human, just like me. I know you don't believe in God but I really do think you were chosen to have your powers, that you were born to change the world."

Annie smiled at her friend, who looked at her with pensive eyes before suddenly frowning and then releasing a deep sigh. The action caught her off-guard and made her worry if her mention of religion had spoiled the moment.

"Annie, I need to tell you something about your powers… and about me." Clark took a deep breath, deciding that if he and Annie were going to do this, to work to change the world, then she needed to know everything.

"What is it?" Annie twisted under Clark's wary gaze as he bit his lip. "Clark, you can tell me anything."

"...Annie, your powers come from a dru-" Clark couldn't finish his sentence before his head suddenly snapped to the window. He stood up as the entire house shook.

Without a word, he bolted at superspeed from the living room, smashing through his own wall to witness the disaster unfolding outside. Annie could only watch wide-eyed as in the distance an entire section of LA burst into flames and the ground started shaking again. She too wasted no time, and her costume was donned in a flash. She began praying that she could do something to help.

Clark's world was a blur as he flew so fast that widows and the pavement beneath him cracked while his regular clothing shredded away revealing his Superman suit. It didn't take him long to reach the location: the now-burning Glenarm Power Plant in Pasadena. He wasted no time in lowering himself in the air, his eyes scanning the building trying to find the cause of the explosion, only to suddenly find himself knocked out of the sky.

The beam was pure energy and although it didn't hurt him it had completely blindsided him causing him to lose concentration and plummet to the ground. Clark shook his head as he raised himself from the small crater he was in, the sounds of sirens caused him to look up the street to see a fleet of fire trucks racing towards him. However, suddenly a torrent of fire appeared causing them to explode into a fireball of devastation.

"NO!" Clark shouted. His eyes quickly snapped to the source of the fire, which caused him to pause. It was a hispanic woman?

However, he didn't let that stop him as he then shot forward towards her only to be struck hard by something very toxic, very radioactive and not entirely solid. He felt himself slam into a building, which collapsed to the street. His moment of reprieve ended when he felt the blast of pure energy striking him again. This time he managed to raise a hand to deflect the worst of it and was able to see his attacker, a towering broad-shouldered man whose veins were glowing, but what drew Clark's eye was that his head was engulfed in sickly green light and looked so gaunt it appeared almost skull like.

"You shall burn, Superman, like the rest of this polluted city, for I am mother Earth's salvation! I am the refugee of your nuclear position, returned to destroy you!" The figure cackled again as he let off another series of blasts, but his monologuing allowed Clark an opening.

He pushed forward and slammed his fist into the man's sallow face, sending him backwards, however to his shock the man didn't go down. His opponent merely skidded while staying upright, and Clark cursed. That had been enough force to knock out a regular person, but evidently this super-powered individual was durable as well as radioactive. He wasn't able to focus on his mistake for long, as he suddenly found himself engulfed in a stream of flames from the young hispanic woman who couldn't have been more than 22.

"Burn, you puta!" She poured more fire as she advanced forward seemingly relishing her power as the flames danced over her body starting to burn her clothes off. "This will teach you to mess with Los Diablos! Hey, watch it you bastarda babosa!"

Clark suddenly felt the fire stop but it was replaced by a different sensation of burning as a thick sludge-like liquid suddenly slammed into him pinning him to the floor. Another being would have been blinded but he was able to peer through the toxic goop and see his attacker. The one attacking him was a massive gelatinous humanoid, about 10 to 12 feet in height, and was comprised entirely of the thick radioactive sludge covering him. Clark pushed himself upwards and tore through the creature's hand so that he was again in the air and hovering above them.

As he readied himself to dive back into the fight one question sounded in his head: Where in the name of Rao had these people come from?