Chapter 13
Ryan watched in awe on the television screen as Luke Skywalker tried to master the ways of the Force and become a Jedi.
He was captivated by the rebels' struggle against the Emperor and Darth Vader who sought to dominate the galaxy.
He was thrilled by the events and heroes on screen, particularly Han Solo and Darth Vader, the film's most colorful characters.
The next movie in the trilogy was started immediately after the first.
It was only halfway through the film that a knock on the door was heard, prompting Becca to get up from the couch and go greet the visitor.
She opened the door to find herself meeting Homelander's extremely pensive gaze.
She immediately understood that something truly had happened.
John's muscles and abs were visible even through his black t-shirt, but his bad mood caught her attention more.
Becca became intensely curious about what had occurred but didn't want to spoil her son's rare television time.
"Come in, we're already on the fifth episode."
She whispered to him.
"Really?"
John perked up.
"So he liked it?"
"More than you can imagine."
Rebecca smiled, heading back to the living room, and she couldn't miss how his gaze trailed down to her butt.
The next hour flew by unnoticed as they watched the movie.
Ryan watched in shock as Luke and Darth Vader fought with the dark lord confidently besting the young Jedi.
When Luke's hand was severed, Ryan's eyes even lit up red from the excitement.
Becca immediately turned to John who responded with a reassuring smile.
Since their powers were similar, Ryan wouldn't accidentally shoot lasers from his eyes due to a mere surge of emotion.
It required more than just heightened emotions, and the energy had to be directed intentionally.
This realization seemed to calm Rebecca who was worried about her son.
"How is that possible?!"
Ryan asked excitedly after the film ended.
"Darth Vader is Luke's father?! Is that true?"
"Absolutely."
John smiled, ruffling his hair.
"Can I watch the sixth episode?"
Ryan asked, glancing out the window but his mother didn't miss this look.
"It's already evening, and you need to be alert for tomorrow."
Becca said sternly, then softened her tone.
"You can watch it tomorrow. Now go brush your teeth and get to bed."
"Okay."
He responded with disappointment, lingering his gaze on John for a moment.
John shook his head, showing his helplessness in this situation.
After Ryan was put to bed, they went to the kitchen, where Becca made tea.
Throughout the movie, she noticed that he frequently seemed lost in thought.
She decided to ask what was troubling John.
"What happened? You left so suddenly."
She said, placing a mug of hot tea in front of him.
"It's... work-related. Don't worry about it."
He replied, taking a sip of the hot drink.
"John, I know we're not that close but you said you wanted to at least be friends."
Becca sighed, not entirely sure why she was saying this, and perhaps curiosity was driving her.
"So take the first step towards that."
"Alright."
Homelander frowned.
"Translucent is dead."
"What? But he's invulnerable!"
Becca exclaimed in shock, quickly covering her mouth. She didn't want to wake Ryan with her outburst.
"How is that possible?"
"They blew him up from the inside, as far as I can tell from... the remains. You don't want to know the details."
He sighed again, taking another sip of tea.
"Who could have done this?"
Becca asked, clearly worried.
"We don't know yet, but we'll find them."
Homelander assured her.
He didn't mention that he had already found some clues.
Surveillance cameras showed Hughie Campbell getting out of a black Cadillac Fleetwood and walking toward the building.
The cameras weren't good enough to get a clear image, but the license plate on the car could be seen.
The car belonged to a former soldier, William Butcher, who shared the same last name as Rebecca.
Coincidentally, soon after, a car of the same model rammed into Hughie's workplace and then fled the scene.
There were signs of struggle and blood despite someone erasing all the surveillance footage inside the electronics stores.
The next day, Translucent didn't show up to visit a young cancer patient, and Madelyn had to replace him with A-Train.
"But don't let this weigh on your mind. There's something more important right now."
"More important?"
"Yes, there's a question that's been bothering me lately, and I wanted to ask you. If you don't mind, of course."
He decided to start indirectly, not revealing the main point of the conversation.
"And what question is that?"
Becca asked cautiously.
"Why are you here?"
"What do you mean?"
She frowned.
"All of this."
He gestured around the kitchen and presumably the entire guarded area.
"Why did you willingly lock yourself in a cage?"
There was no judgment in Homelander's words, just childlike curiosity, and that irritated Becca.
"Need I remind you whose fault it is that I'm here?"
"You know I have a perfect memory, and you're here not because of me but by your own choice."
He sighed, pushing the cup away.
"The reason isn't Ryan. His abilities only manifested recently, and the birth went smoothly. You could have chosen a more populated place, but you picked this one. So the question arises: Why?"
"That's none of your business."
Becca snapped.
"That's where you're wrong."
Homelander replied, his eyes hard as steel.
"Everything concerning you will eventually affect our son. And I can't allow anything to threaten him."
"Nothing will threaten him as long as he's here."
"Do you think that will last forever? That he won't someday want to see the world?"
"What are you getting at?"
"To the fact that he won't stay here because I'm taking you away from this place."
Homelander's gaze became so intense that she didn't dare to argue.
"And I need to know what you were so afraid of that you agreed to this. Believe me, the sooner I find out, the better it will be for us."
"I was afraid of Billy, my husband."
Becca said through clenched teeth, and Homelander nodded, encouraging her to continue.
"He... he was at war, and it left a deep mark on him. Billy becomes almost uncontrollable when he gets angry and can do terrible things. And I was afraid he would kill Ryan if he found out who he came from."
"I see. That's why you locked yourself up here."
Homelander sighed, standing up from the table.
"Thanks for the hospitality, Rebecca, but I have to go."
"Wait!"
Becca exclaimed, standing up abruptly and consequently knocking over her cup onto the floor.
"Damn it!"
"Why are you so worked up? I'm not planning to do anything to him, I don't care enough."
He rolled his eyes.
"See you tomorrow."
Becca silently and thoughtfully walked him to the door.
"John."
She suddenly called out to him just as he was about to take off.
"Yes?"
He turned to her.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
John nodded before flying away.
Becca watched for a few seconds until he finally disappeared from view.
She sighed quietly and went back inside.
'Well, the conversation went pretty well.'
Homelander thought while watching her to ensure she didn't do anything foolish.
...
Billy Butcher had difficulty falling asleep, and it wasn't even Hughie's fault with his childish shampoo.
The smell was indeed too... sweet, but it was bearable, and something else was keeping him awake, something far more troubling.
He got up from the bed and made tea while he sighed.
It might be cliché, but Brits do tend to drink a lot of tea, and Billy was no exception.
He stared blankly at the electric kettle for the next five minutes as it boiled, waiting for the click.
Butcher closed his eyes, smiled at his thoughts, and drank a sip of tea.
He thought about the fact that even though his life was mostly bad, there was one good thing about it.
Billy sighed and walked onto the balcony to feel the cool night air on his skin.
It helped that he usually slept in just his shorts.
Taking another sip of his tea, Butcher relaxedly looked up at the sky, freezing like a statue.
The smile vanished from his face as his eyes locked onto a pair of red dots.
He stared into Homelander's eyes as his hand tightened around the cup.
There was no mistaking the super, and only Homelander had those distinctive red laser eyes, and he could fly.
Butcher had recently blown up one of his colleagues, so the conclusion was obvious.
After a few minutes, nothing happened.
Homelander stayed in place while watching Butcher.
Butcher just coldly stared back. He no longer cared at that point because he had been found.
The only regret he'd have before dying was not being able to avenge his wife.
Suddenly, Homelander flew off in an unknown direction, leaving him alone on the balcony which surprised him greatly.
Butcher took a few seconds to process this and finally breathe freely. He took another sip of tea, only to spit it out in disgust.
"Bloody hell!"
Butcher exclaimed in frustration, glaring at the taste of the now-cold tea.
It was unclear which irritated him more, either the terrible taste of the tea or the unfulfilled expectations of his encounter with Homelander.