Chapter 37: The Fall of Vought International
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The aftermath of the battle left an eerie silence in the depths of Catskill Forest. Snow continued to fall, its soft descent muffling the destruction that had just taken place. The battlefield, once filled with the sounds of clashing titans, now lay dormant, as if it had all been a fleeting nightmare. The shattered trees and scorched earth were the only remnants of a fight that no one in the world would ever know about.
Marcus stood tall at the center of it all, his silver aura dimming as he withdrew his vast telekinetic energy after the shadowy figure, the Watcher left, his words still echoing in Marcus' head. Before him, Homelander lay battered and broken, barely conscious, his signature smug expression now replaced with one of disbelief. A-Train, his legs mangled beyond recognition, groaned in pain a few feet away, and the rest of the elite Vought heroes were scattered across the ground, injured but alive.
They had come at Marcus with everything they had. Homelander, the supposed pinnacle of Vought's supremacy, had thrown his most devastating blows, but in the end, it hadn't mattered. Marcus had toyed with them, as if the entire battle had been nothing more than a demonstration of his superiority. He hadn't killed them—no, that would have been too easy. Instead, he had let them live with the knowledge that they were powerless against him.
Wang Ling stepped forward from the shadows, his eyes surveying the fallen heroes with clinical detachment. "Shall we finish them off?" he asked, his voice cold.
Marcus shook his head, a calm, almost dismissive smile crossing his face. "No need. Their defeat is enough. They will remember this day, but the world doesn't need to know what happened here. Not yet.I believe even the military will hide such commotion at all costs, so we don't have to worry about this mess."
Wang nodded in understanding. "As you wish, Marcus."
Marcus took one last glance at Homelander, who had barely managed to lift his head to meet Marcus's gaze. The supe's eyes were wide, a mixture of fear and confusion. The aura of invincibility that had always surrounded Homelander had been shattered in a single night.
"You were never a god, Homelander," Marcus said quietly. "You're just a man with power."
With a flick of his hand, Marcus sent a pulse of energy that swept over the fallen supes, rendering them unconscious once again. It was a mercy—one they didn't deserve, but one he granted nonetheless. He turned and began walking away, Wang falling into step beside him.
"NeoTech will clean this up," Wang said, already thinking ahead. "We'll make sure the public remains unaware of the battle. The last thing we need is for Vought to spin this into some kind of martyr story."
Marcus's expression remained calm as they disappeared into the forest. "Vought is finished," he said, his voice cold and decisive. "NeoTech will rise, and with it, we will reshape the world."
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NeoTech Headquarters, Manhattan
Back at NeoTech, the mood was one of quiet triumph. The organization had started in secrecy, now under Wang Ling's careful management. They had gathered their own team of supes, many of whom were former Vought creations who had grown disillusioned with the corporation's methods. Now, in the aftermath of the battle, NeoTech stood on the precipice of a new era.
Wang sat at the head of a large conference table, surrounded by key figures from the organization. Marcus, still radiating an aura of control and authority, stood at the back of the room, his arms crossed, listening as Wang spoke.
"It's done," Wang said. "Vought is officially in ruins. The remnants of their operations are being absorbed into NeoTech as we speak. Homelander and the others will be dealt with—quietly, being sealed in the deep freeze technology you developed. The public won't know what really happened tonight."
There was a murmur of approval around the table. NeoTech's rise had been inevitable, but this victory against Vought had solidified their position as the new dominant force. With Vought International crumbling, there was little left to stop them.
"How is the media handling it?" Marcus asked, his voice cutting through the low conversations.
Wang tapped a screen in front of him, bringing up various news feeds. "The official story is that Vought's internal corruption finally caught up with them. Financial scandals, cover-ups, and mismanagement. Homelander's absence will be explained as part of a deep-cover mission gone wrong. We've planted enough evidence to make it all stick. NeoTech's emergence will be seen as a natural progression in the superhero industry."
Marcus nodded, satisfied. "Good. The world doesn't need to know about the real battle. We'll take control without the public ever realizing what's happened."
One of the NeoTech executives leaned forward. "And the supes from Vought? The ones who didn't participate in the fight and luckily survived? What do we do with them?"
Wang smiled, a calculated gleam in his eyes. "We absorb them. Those who can be loyal to NeoTech will join our teams. The rest… well, they can disappear quietly. Vought's supes were never really heroes. They were products. And products can be replaced."
The room fell silent as the weight of Wang's words sunk in. NeoTech was no different from Vought in many ways, but where Vought had been a crumbling empire built on lies, NeoTech was a streamlined machine, efficient and ruthless.
Marcus's thoughts drifted towards his meeting with the Watcher once again, thinking of its words as he couldn't really identify what exactly it or he or she was...as the meeting continued. His gaze wandered to the skyline outside the towering glass windows. NeoTech was poised to become more than just a corporation—it would be the foundation of a new world order. And he would be its architect.
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Maeve's Apartment, New York City
Far from the destruction, Maeve lay in bed, her body wrapped in the warm embrace of Elena, her girlfriend. The soft glow of the television illuminated the room, casting a pale light over their relaxed figures. They were watching the news, but Maeve's mind was elsewhere, lost in the comfort of the moment.
Elena stirred beside her, glancing up at the screen. "Are you watching this?" she asked, her voice sleepy.
Maeve blinked and turned her attention to the television. NeoTech's logo flashed on the screen, the newscaster's voice full of excitement as he reported the shocking downfall of Vought International. NeoTech had come out on top, absorbing many of Vought's assets and supes in what was being described as the corporate coup of the century.
"NeoTech just… took over," the newscaster said. "Vought is officially done. The company that once controlled the world's most powerful superheroes has fallen, and its remnants are being absorbed into NeoTech's rapidly expanding operations. This marks the end of an era—one where Vought ruled supreme, and Homelander was seen as untouchable."
Elena sat up slightly, her brow furrowed. "That's… wild. Vought's been around for so long. I never thought they could actually fall."
Maeve leaned back against the pillows, her eyes fixed on the screen. "Yeah," she muttered, her tone distant. "But everything falls eventually."
Elena glanced at her, concern flickering in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
Maeve forced a smile. "I'm fine. Just… thinking about how fast things change." She turned off the television and pulled Elena closer. "Let's not worry about that right now."
As the city continued to buzz with the shock of Vought's downfall, Maeve lay in bed, her thoughts tangled with the realization that the world had shifted beneath her feet. The power dynamics had changed, and she wasn't sure where she fit in anymore.
For years, Maeve had been part of Vought's game, a pawn in their twisted empire. But now, with NeoTech rising and Vought in ruins, she felt a strange sense of relief. Maybe this was her chance to finally break free, to carve out a new life with Elena, far from the chaos of the superhero world.
As she drifted off to sleep, the news continued to play in the background, the fall of Vought echoing through the night like a whisper in the dark.
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