297 The Boys: Stan: The Devil, Sage: The Smartest Person in the World, Cate: Everyone's Terror, and Mindstorm: Soldier Boy's Terror.

Stan Edgar was playing chess against another person in a room filled with scattered books.

"How will you finish him?" Stan asked casually.

"That's a question that requires more information to answer..." Stan's opponent moved a knight forward. "Weaknesses?"

"He has none, or we don't know them..." Stan smiled faintly and moved a pawn. "But he seems very interested in innocent life..."

"I see." Stan's opponent seemed to have anticipated this response and did not react immediately. She took a rook and moved it forward. "Limits?"

"He has none, or we don't know them..." Stan said, moving another pawn. "But in a year or less, Homelander would be killed if faced head-on..."

"..." Stan's opponent fell silent, then took a bishop but did not move it. "Stan Edgar... you give me chills. You're the only reason I'd prefer to stay here rather than make a move," she said convincingly, though she was only pretending to flatter Stan.

"..."

"If you keep your word, and be sure I'll know if you don't, I'll help you with your problem." She moved her bishop and captured one of Stan's pawns.

Stan moved a third pawn and smiled faintly. "What do you need, Sage?"

The woman of color snorted but then smiled with a sense of self-satisfaction as if she had anticipated the outcome. "First, we need the vanguard..."

....

In a forest far from civilization, lived a middle-aged man.

He got up every morning at sunrise. This time was no exception. With a tired look and somewhat disheveled appearance, he left his cabin and began walking through the silent forest.

His clothes were somewhat worn, but he didn't care. He preferred being this way rather than approaching the city and going mad again.

The man walked until he reached a small river where he knelt, washed his face, and then drank water from his hand.

He looked at his reflection for a moment before raising his gaze. He took a small knife and walked slowly to a bush where a small rabbit was caught by one of its legs in a snare.

The man gripped the knife... he was not going to release it as this would be his meal for the day.

...

The man returned to his house, but a mile before arriving, he felt a chill, someone was in his house.

Immediately, he prepared to use his powers; he would not allow anyone to control him.

"...!"

At that moment, he felt a sharp sting in his neck and had a dart lodged in it; someone had shot him. He couldn't say anything before falling unconscious.

When he woke up, the old man was in his house, seated in a chair, and in front of him was Stan Edgar.

"Hello, Mindstorm..."

The old man began to sweat, feeling scared because he couldn't use his powers.

Stan Edgar looked at him. "It's unfortunate that the most powerful telepath has been reduced to a pitiful man living in a forest... Mindstorm, don't you want to be the one controlling your power instead of the other way around?"

"What... do you mean?...No, wait... you!... How did you block my powers?!""

...

Mindstorm...

There was a time when he could boast of being one of the greatest "Superheroes," considering what being a Superheroe means in this world.

He was known as Mindstorm, one of the most powerful members of Payback, the team that preceded The Seven, which was led at the time by the "legendary" Soldier Boy. A war hero who lost his life protecting the country.

Of course, that story has more lies than truth; as one might guess, Payback was similar to The Seven—they acted in movies and television shows, made commercials, and did propaganda. They toured the country raising funds for the war.

Soldier Boy was essentially Captain America in his early days as a super-soldier. However, Soldier Boy was not bothered by being just a walking advertisement; he used it to his advantage and crafted a legend out of lies.

The point of mentioning Soldier Boy is to understand Mindstorm's power and motivations.

Soldier Boy was a bad person; he treated his team very poorly, hated with all his soul that anyone would overshadow him, like Homelander, but was even more violent, sometimes beating them up. This earned the resentment of all of Payback. But Soldier Boy was the previous Homelander, and not even all of them together could have killed him.

So, they betrayed him and sold him to the Russians. To do this, they had to knock him out long enough for him to be taken away.

In this plan, the most crucial member, and the reason this madness worked, was Mindstorm.

He is a telepath who can read thoughts but can also induce illusions in others. His greatest power is taking a traumatic memory and trapping a person's mind in that trauma so that they experience it over and over again.

Mindstorm practically tortured Soldier Boy.

Given this, he is the only super that Soldier Boy feared, the only one he wouldn't dismiss and would take seriously.

However, his power has flaws...

Over time, he believed that without Soldier Boy, his life would improve; however, it did not. His power grew stronger to the point where he could hear the thoughts of everyone around him over a large area, and he started to go mad.

So he fled to the forest and became a hermit. His name was quickly forgotten... or so it was thought.

...

Mindstorm looked nervously at Stan Edgar; he would be lying if he said he didn't miss being a Vought super and everything it meant, but his power never left him.

"How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"You won't know... I doubt you can trust my word, but what's the alternative?"

Stan Edgar offered a vial of pills.

In a moment of weakness, the man looked at Stan Edgar. "What... should I do?"

"Help me deal with someone..." Stan stared at him, his cold eyes made Mindstorm sense that something was wrong.

Mindstorm smiled stiffly as his scalp tingled. The terror he felt when Stan Edgar mentioned his target made him feel as if he were seeing the devil himself.

Mindstorm made the worst mistake of his life.

...

"So, we have the vanguard..." Sage said as she moved a knight to capture one of Stan Edgar's pawns.

"I'm glad you like it..." Stan seemed indifferent to the loss of his pawn and moved another one forward. "And now what?"

"The vanguard will only be effective for a moment... in the end, it only works long enough for the next move," Sage examined the board for a moment and furrowed her brow. "And someone capable of stopping him is needed... Do you have someone in mind?"

...

Seventeen-year-old Cate Dunlap looked out of her window, a habit she had since she had nothing else to do while confined.

She was like Rapunzel with her beautiful golden hair, though not as long, and with striking blue eyes. However, there was no prince to save her, if one did appear, he would likely call her a monster like everyone else.

Cate sighed as she put on her gloves; it was time for breakfast. She went to the door of her room, which was reinforced to ensure she could not leave. Of course, she would never attempt to escape because she knew her power was dangerous and she was a monster. Furthermore, people would never understand or love her as they did Starlight on TV.

Her powers were meant for villains, and she knew it.

There was a slot in the door through which food was passed to Cate. She saw it open, and a simple breakfast of bacon, eggs, bread, and a glass of orange juice appeared. She approached it.

"Mom?"

Cate asked, hoping for a brief interaction. The response took more than fifteen seconds.

"Don't let it get cold..." came the terse reply from the woman who was supposed to be her mother.

"Yes," Cate responded before everything fell into silence.

That was all for today...

She knew that this would be her only interaction with her mother today. She can't go out and doesn't get much attention. Even after all that Cate didn't hate her parents, because they did it for her own good. Her powers were terrifying, and if her existence became known, everyone would hate her and fear her.

Cate ate her breakfast and went to sit down to eat while listening to some music.

...

Cate finished her breakfast and looked out the window again, wishing she could go outside but knowing it was dangerous.

Why had she come to this conclusion? The answer is cruel and involves her younger brother.

Cate is a cursed girl incapable of touching anyone. She was a super, so of course, Vought had a stake in her life. She was a clear example that not all powers are blessings.

Her power allows her to hear others' thoughts; if that were all, it would be manageable as a telepath. However, she has an even more terrifying ability. She can control others, including supers, by touching them.

She discovered her powers in the worst way possible, by touching her brother and ordering him to leave. At that moment, she was unaware of her abilities. Her brother disappeared into the forest and was never found.

To put it simply, Cate Dunlap is Rogue from The Boys universe, but the consequences of the awakening of her power were more tragic.

Horrified, her parents locked her in a special room to ensure she could not touch anyone again. She lived this way until the end of her adolescence. Now seventeen, and with eighteen approaching, there was little hope for her life to change, even as she reached adulthood.

She was doomed to live in this place... but Cate didn't complain, as compared to her brother's fate, who will never have a future, she was fine, right?

...

On an ordinary day, her monotony changed when the door opened and someone entered. This person was a well-dressed man of color with a calm demeanor.

Stan Edgar sat next to Cate, who was nervous and wearing thick gloves.

"Tell me, Cate, would you like freedom?"

Cate trembled, but her heart was already closed and filled with resentment towards the world. However, she had promised herself not to become a monster. "I... I don't know."

"I'm not just talking about freedom from this place, but freedom from the powers that have tormented you..."

Cate's eyes widened at this. Her expression betrayed her; there was nothing she desired more than being able to touch someone, but she knew her powers would activate.

Stan Edgar smiled and took out a bottle of pills. "Indira Shetty is a brilliant woman. Unfortunately, she prioritizes her family, but with her help, we were able to create these pills that nullify your abilities to a certain extent..."

"...!!"

Cate looked like she was about to scream. She didn't even doubt Edgar's words, considering that her parents had allowed her to enter; he must be someone very important or powerful.

Someone like that shouldn't lie lightly, right?

Cate extended her trembling hand, but Stan Edgar pulled the bottle away.

Cate felt anger but, seeing Stan Edgar's expression, she felt chills and lowered her head. She didn't know why, but instinctively she felt that irritating the man in front of her would be the most foolish thing in the world.

"Cate... nothing in this life is free... if you want your freedom, you need to do something for me..."

"...What thing?"

Cate didn't even ask if it was dangerous or humiliating. She was already on the edge of collapse. Offering hope to someone with nothing and then taking it away is one of the cruelest things someone could do, and Stan Edgar did it without hesitation.

Stan smiled and give Cate a photo of Allen.

"You must control him... and you will be free."

"What?!" Cate dropped the photo and it fell to the ground. She had sworn never to take away someone's freedom again. She vowed never to use her power again, no matter how tempting it might be.

This is another flaw of Cate's powers: the insatiable need for physical contact, like an addiction. She has been managing it for years but knows the consequences and swore never to use it again.

Cate looked at the pill bottle, a chance to touch others safely and regain her freedom, yet she had to do precisely what she didn't want to do again.

Stan Edgar got up.

"Wait-!!" Cate was frightened, but Stan reassured her.

"You don't have to decide now... I have to go somewhere else. Your parents already have my number... just call me when you've made up your mind."

Cate saw Stan leave, she was no fool and knew that man was the devil, but that monster was her only hope.

"What should I do?" Cate picked up the photo of Allen from the floor and held it close as if it were her last hope and at the same time her greatest sin.

...

Cate stared blankly at the wall, holding the photo and glancing at it from time to time, memorizing that face.

"I'm sorry..."

Cate didn't know what to do so she decided to distract herself by maybe taking a bath but she noticed the door was open.

She was startled, thinking her parents had forgotten to close it, which seemed impossible.

"Mom!! Dad!!"

Cate called out, but there was no answer. She remembered Stan Edgar and felt afraid, maybe he did something to her parents.

"Should I go out?"

She was afraid of being scolded but needed to find out what had happened. Cautiously, and after many years, she went downstairs and felt terrified.

When she reached the bottom, her parents were sitting in the living room watching TV.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come out!" Cate said in panic, but her parents' response surprised her.

"Sweetie... Mr. Edgar said you could go out if you wanted," her mother said nervously.

"Huh?!" Cate thought she had misheard. "But it's dangerous!"

"Cate, Mr. Edgar said he would take full responsibility if anything happened." his father replied quietly.

"Huh?!" Cate was paralyzed. What had just happened? Could she leave? Go out on the street? Anywhere she wanted? It had to be a dream.

Cate hesitated and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Despite it being her home, it felt like a stranger's. But her parents didn't scold her. Cate wandered around and looked at her mother's new plants and her father's model.

She looked at the photos of her brother on the wall; there were many of him but none of her. She knew the reason.

Cate returned to the living room, and her mother was no longer there. Instead, she was in the kitchen preparing something. Cate felt nervous; could she eat with her parents after who knows how long?

Cate looked down and sat on a couch in the living room, not daring to look at her father, and watched TV. When dinner was served, her mother called her father, and Cate didn't know what to do.

"What are you doing, dear? Come to eat."

Cate nearly broke down in tears but approached the table. It felt like a dream to have one of her deepest wishes fulfilled.

She had dinner with her parents...

Cate returned to her room, happy, but she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out Allen's photograph. All this had been thanks to Stan Edgar, but it was not an act of charity; she had to commit a horrible deed, and this day would mark her new reality.

Cate didn't know what to do. She might become a monster, but the reward was so dazzling.

She fell asleep with the photo in hand, undecided about her future.

...

"It's a regrettable loss… but necessary," Stan said without blinking as he handed Cate Dunlap's data to Sage.

She read the details on the tablet, her eyes widening in disbelief. Then she looked at Stan Edgar with a bead of sweat on her forehead. 'Stan, are you willing to sacrifice someone who could give you the world just to kill him?!'

'No! This man… this bastard, I only need to sense the slightest threat from this kid to gather the most dangerous supers to kill him...'

Sage stood up and looked at Stan with caution. She had always underestimated the man in front of her. Intellectually, she was definitely superior to Stan Edgar, but his cruelty and decisiveness in action were terrifying.

"Throughout history, there have been great geniuses, yet you can count on one hand those who have held power…"

Sage gritted her teeth. "Stan Edgar!!"

"For some reason, tyrants are often the ones who end up wearing the crown."

"You dare to use me as a pawn?! Me?! The most intelligent person in the world?!"Sage's eyes were bloodshot with rage at Stan's disrespect.

Meanwhile, Stan moved another pawn and captured Sage's queen. He then looked at her in silence.

Sage's anger dissipated, and she sat back down without looking at Stan Edgar. She had read and learned vast amounts of information from various fields, including psychology, and she saw in Stan's face the impulse to kill her.

Stan Edgar did not care how powerful a super was or how valuable they could be. To him, Homelander, Mindstorm, Cate Dunlap, and even Sage herself were merely defective products.

Products he could discard if they were no longer useful to him. Sage felt someone place hands on her shoulders. Looking back, she saw a figure entirely covered in black.

"Black Noir… No, Homelander's clone!."

"..."

Stan didn't even flinch at Sage's recognition of Black Noir's identity, which made her feel even more trapped by this bastard.

"Haha… ha, Stan Edgar… I admit it… I give you this round… but don't get used to winning."

Stan did not respond, instead rising and walking toward the exit. Black Noir helped him with his coat.

"I would never dare underestimate the most intelligent person in the world… that would be foolish," Stan declared without even looking at Sage.

'BASTARD!!'

Sage nearly broke her teeth from clenching them. She had underestimated Stan all along.

===

A/N: I won't lie, I take liberties with some characters, but it's necessary to improve the quality.

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