Chapter 24

[Homelander POV]

The fear was quickly overcome, and I only felt a little nervous before and after each dive.

After a while, the depths of the ocean probably captivated only Deep and me.

The water was far too dark in the vast water space that covers most of Earth's surface.

It quickly became apparent that ordinary eyes are not suited for deep diving.

It is very hard for light to get through the deep ocean.

There isn't enough light below two hundred meters for photosynthesis, and algae and plants can only survive on the top hundred meters or so.

The speed of my flight increased with each second, and I reached the very bottom very quickly... but I didn't see much of anything.

It turned out that theories about the largest monsters in the ocean living on the bottom of the ocean were just that—theories.

Well, I saw nothing unknown to humans at all. The same whales, the same big fish, long fish... by their sizes were surprisingly large.

After an hour, I emerged from the water on the shore of one of the islands in the Bahamas.

A phone sounded as I walked to the lounge chair and began to get dressed.

"Yes, Madelyn?"

I answered, watching the children build a sandcastle.

The boy among them had an unusually intense gaze.

"Where are you?"

She was clearly not in a good mood because her voice was anxious.

"In the Bahamas, specifically on Harbour Island. It's a beautiful place, you should visit."

"Someone handed over Compound V to the CIA, and they're planning to put me behind bars. I need you here."

"You need me? Madelyn, that's your problem, and this time, I'm not getting involved."

I smiled.

"Don't tell me it's a hopeless situation. I'm not going to break the law for this."

"You've done it plenty of times before! How would you like it if I turned you in?!"

She shrieked hysterically. She was clearly having a bad day, showing so much unnecessary emotion.

"Do as you wish, Madelyn, but you know the consequences... and so do they."

I scoffed into the phone, squinting against the sunlight.

"Just agree to their terms."

"I'll lose everything. They'll replace me..."

"Not if I vouch for you. Trust me, Stan won't fire you."

I replied confidently, and there was a moment of silence on the other end.

"This was you, wasn't it?"

She finally said, exhaling softly.

"Are you Homelander?"

The boy who had been watching me approached.

I smiled and knelt down to his level.

"Of course it's me, but don't tell anyone."

I smiled at the little rascal, putting a finger to my lips.

"Do we have a deal?

The boy nodded enthusiastically, probably taking my words as part of a game, and then ran back to the other children.

Soon, all the kids would know who they had just talked to.

"Yes."

I said from the phone, and my grin only grew wider.

...

[3rd POV]

A pair of long black claws cut through the air just millimeters from his face, but she missed their mark.

The attacks became increasingly intense and faster with each passing second, but John continued to dodge at the edge of her capabilities.

He was actually a lot faster than any other Supes that was known to exist except for speedsters. 

Those guys are hard to beat on the ground when they run, but that's not counting flight.

He smirked at his thoughts as he dodged again and hit back this time. He actually pushed her to the ground, and she got up while pretending to groan.

Rebecca exhaled loudly, brushing the dirt off her clothes.

"You're too fast."

She complained, looking at him with frustration.

"And you're too predictable."

John chuckled, slightly regretting that he had to leave the island.

Two days of rest were too short but perfect for a break after all the events.

Annie felt the same way but couldn't stay long on Harbor Island.

Vought had scheduled her for a new show shoot. As for John, he flew straight to the house in the woods.

"In what way am I predictable?"

"You will easily be neutralized if you don't develop new ideas. Trust me, you're currently at the level of a strong but relatively average Supe at least by my standards. But you should be able to hold your own against Noir and Deep."

"What a flattering statement."

Becca rolled her eyes before making another straightforward lunge at him.

"Predictable."

John commented, dodging effortlessly with the agility of an ordinary person.

"That's not fair!"

"Keep your hands in front of you."

He sighed, taking her hands.

"You always keep them behind you, making your swing very easy to see."

"Got it. What next?"

Becca looked at him with interest and enthusiasm.

"Short but quick thrusts will work better here."

He continued while demonstrating himself.

"In your case, it's not about the deadly blow but whether you can land it."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's put it this way: focus on speed and agility not brute strength. You need mobility, and a direct attack isn't an option... only as a last resort."

"This is too complicated."

Becca pouted.

"I know, but you don't have much advantage in durability or close combat skills."

John sighed, recalling how effective Black Noir was in that regard.

Noir had most likely received his instruction from a more qualified individual where he had to train himself.

"And what now?"

"Start over."

He replied, stepping back a few paces and removing his shirt to avoid questions from Ryan about damaged clothing.

He couldn't help but notice Becca's gaze lingering on his torso for the first few seconds.

The following training sessions were much more interesting due to the changes in Becca's fighting style.

It looked like she was giving in to her instincts because her moves started to resemble those of wild animals.

She tried to attack him from behind this time which was a lot smarter. John told her that there was too much noise, and that was the problem.

It felt like time had sped up as the two hours went so fast.

Becca adapted quickly to her abilities, becoming more agile and quieter. She directed her blows at the vital parts of an average person, making them much more deadly.

She often tried to reach the eyes, neck, legs, and back, but this very focus ultimately led to each of her failures in trying to reach him.

"You're too noisy and still predictable."

John smirked, catching her mid-jump and throwing her to the ground.

"And you're still as rough."

Becca sighed, brushing the dirt out of her hair.

"Really? You'll thank me when these skills save your life."

John responded gruffly.

"We're not here to play games."

Becca attacked him as soon as he became briefly distracted by her words.

She jumped onto him, claws still out, and, taking his face in her hands, passionately kissed him.

She didn't even understand what she was doing, simply giving in to a sudden impulse.

Strangely, she managed to catch him off guard, but John supported her and soon took the lead.

He leaned her back against the tree trunk and put his hands on her hips.

He liked the way they felt in his hands with his lips pressed harder and harder against hers until he slowly, slowly released them.

Their gazes met, and they couldn't look away from each other.

The kiss was brief, almost too quick, leaving both wanting more which was sure to happen in just a moment.

"Mama? Papa?"

However, Ryan's sudden appearance made them pull away from each other immediately.

"Ryan!"

Becca said awkwardly, not knowing where to look.

"Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to ask Dad to play the game console."

Ryan answered, puzzled by his embarrassed mother's appearance and his father's calm demeanor.

"Well, since my champion wants to play, how can I refuse?"

John smiled, pulling on his shirt and lifting the laughing child onto his shoulders.

He cheerfully walked towards the house, pondering what to do next about the incident.

'God, what am I doing?'

Becca said, covering her face with her hands as she tried to ignore the wave of shame that followed her son's interruption.

After a few seconds, she sighed quietly and followed them upstairs.

The embarrassment and thoughts about her recent actions faded into the background, and her thoughts focused more on the need for a shower.

A hot shower was just what she needed to wash away the dirt and sweat and help her forget everything that had happened.

They reached the house quickly, as it wasn't far. Becca locked the door behind her as she went straight to the bathroom once she was inside.

She looked in the mirror and sighed softly.

This behavior was completely out of character for her and she had never acted like a wild animal pouncing on a man.

Unless... with a barely audible click, even to her ears, long claws extended from her fingers.

"So, this is rage."

Becca murmured, only now realizing how profoundly her new abilities affected her.

She wasn't happy about it but felt so good it was hard to put into words.

She has incredible flexibility and strength, surpassing any human, and her senses are sharpened to an extraordinary degree. Her taste buds seemed rejuvenated, allowing her to experience food with a new depth of flavor.

She was different now and was no longer the Becca known to her friends, family, and... Billy.

"I need to freshen up."

Becca decided, resolving not to think about it any further.

John was intently pressing the buttons on the game controller, watching the unfolding fight between Homelander and Nubia.

It seemed their marital relationship hadn't worked out, but that wasn't the point.

Finally, they now operated separately and were doing quite well on their own.

Nubia had decent abilities, considering she could fly and shoot lightning from her fingers.

However, while this looked impressive, it wasn't as effective as Starlight's light beams which determined who would make it into The Seven.

That was the judgement Homelander had made, being directly involved in selecting candidates, especially among women.

The fact was that female superheroes always attracted a wide audience.

"And how do you always win?"

John pretended outrage as he watched thick lightning bolts being shot at Homelander, which was very far from reality.

Nubia's lightning was simply too thin and harmless even for an average superhero, let alone the strongest.

"Homelander's just predictable, Dad."

Ryan smiled, looking up at his father.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he has limited moves that are easy to predict. And... you always use them."

He said it while feeling it was an unfair advantage.

"I'm just used to it."

John grinned at his own simple joke.

He looked at his son, contemplating the future. He needed to teach Ryan something that would protect him.

He should start by learning how to fly.

 It was better to avoid showing him how to shoot lasers from his eyes, at least until he was ten.

It was too powerful a skill to be used without control.

John could make his beams invisible and even minimize their heat, but without experience, lasers would be at full power the first time they were used.

"Maybe we should play again? We need to pick a different character this time."

John mused, glancing at the TV screen.

"Okay."

He nodded, already selecting a new character, when the phone rang.

"Hello, Madelyn?"

John answered, surprised by the unexpected call from her.

She had been so overwhelmed with work lately that she couldn't afford distractions.

"John, I... we need to talk."

Madelyn's anxious voice came through, immediately putting him on alert.

"Did something happen?"

"Yes, but it's not something we can discuss over the phone."

"I see, I'm on my way."

John said, ending the call.

There was something in her voice that made him take this more seriously than usual.

"Are you leaving?"

Ryan looked at him with sad eyes.

"Trust me, not for long."

He ruffled Ryan's hair to cheer him up.

"Will you wait for me?"

"Of course!"

Ryan brightened up.

"Great."

John smiled and went upstairs to change.

Becky came out of the bathroom before he could get to the guest room.

She looked at him with surprise and quickly grabbed a towel wrapped loosely around her slender body.

The purple towel was so short that it barely covered anything.

John struggled to keep his gaze from lingering and turned away to avoid making her uncomfortable.

"You're... leaving already."

Becca observed, her voice carrying a hint of displeasure.

John noticed that since taking the serum, Becca had become more emotional.

He couldn't say he minded.

"Yes, for work."

He confirmed.

"We will discuss... what happened?"

"Definitely."

"Good."

Becka said, sounding somewhat relieved, and soon disappeared into her room.

John looked at the spot where she had just stood and took a deep breath, catching the pleasant, sweet, honey-like scent she left behind.

He sighed and headed to his room.

After changing into his familiar superhero suit, he flew out the window. He needed to find out why Madelyn had called him.

...

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