[MC POV.]
One moment, I was sitting in front of my laptop with my headphones on, ready to watch "The Boys" season 4. I blinked, and the next thing I saw was a pair of hands holding onto mine.
The body to which the hands belonged was torn apart, blood splattered on my face, and a fierce wind produced by something fast. I looked to my right and saw him.
A-Train, looking exactly like he did in the show, with blood all over him. He was muttering something, panicking. "I-I can't stop. I can't stop." With a boom, he ran off again, cracking the ground and shaking the trash bins in the area.
"Robin?" I don't know where the voice came from, but I think it was me—or at least something inside me. I looked to the left and saw an ambulance stop, taking the torn body parts from the ground in some kind of bag.
They also removed the hands that were holding my arms. I wasn't awake from the shock of finding myself in "The Boys" universe—or maybe this is a dream. I don't know, but I saw those men muttering apologies and saying how sorry they were.
I blacked out.
*******
Opening my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. Looking to the side, I understood that I was in a hospital. 'Is this really real? Am I in the wretched world of "The Boys" as Hugh Campbell? One of the protagonists? I'm in some deep shit.'
I thought to myself with a frown on my face, 'Won't I get any kind of starter pack or golden finger or any of that shit? Which cosmic being did I piss off for them to throw me into this shithole of a world?'
And why the fuck did I even faint? Was it because I saw such gore in real life for the first time?
[Notice: Analysis shows that you fainted from a panic attack.]
I nearly jumped out of my skin as I looked around. "W-who's there?"
[I am talking inside your mind. I am your unique skill, "Great Sage", and I am here to help you with your goals, whatever they may be.]
'Okay, let me get this straight. You're a talking voice in my head, a unique skill, and you'll help me with whatever I want?' I asked again, wanting to confirm it. I didn't want to risk the possibility of someone mind-controlling me right now.
[You are correct. Note: Mind control would not work on the individual named Hugh Campbell. I can resist and negate such attempts.]
'Okay then, Great Sage. Can you organize my memories of this world and arrange them in chronological order? From when A-Train killed Robin to the last episode of season 3?' I asked. If it can help, that would be great.
[Of course...] It paused for a second, then spoke again, [The memories from when the individual named Robin Ward was killed by the individual named Reggie Franklin to the last episode of season 3 have been organized in a chronological fashion.]
'Now, I want to know what else you can do?' I asked. I need to understand its abilities before I can do anything. I'm still pretty powerless against any Supe without some kind of physical enhancement.
[Unique skill "Great Sage" allows the individual Hugh Campbell to use the following abilities:
- Thought Acceleration.
- Analytical Appraisal.
- Parallel Calculation.
- All of Creation.]
'And what do these abilities do?'
[Thought Acceleration - It allows the user to greatly increase the speed of their thought process. The user can adjust the level of acceleration as needed and can extend the effect to other individuals.
Analytical Appraisal - This releases waves that analyze the target's composition, sending the information back to the user. It can reveal material composition, abilities, and whether the target is under the effects of other skills.
Parallel Calculation - It allows the user to perform multiple thought processes simultaneously. This can be used to separate analysis of phenomena from regular thoughts.
All of Creation - It allows the user to comprehend anything as long as they have a basic understanding of it and it is perceivable to the user.]
'Oh, that's powerful alright. Now that's done, I want to know if I can get my hands on some Compound V. Can you re-engineer it?'
[If I can get a sample of it, I could.]
The reply was short, but it was satisfactory. I could be safe in this world. I'd also need to destroy Vought along with Homelander. He was pretty cool in the show, but this is the real world.
And I don't want a prick like Homelander in the sky, watching over the earth like we're worms. Not that I wouldn't if I were in his position, considering he was mentally abused since childhood. But I'm not like him; I'm better.
I had a pretty decent childhood, and I don't want to shame my parents, whether from my previous world or in this one. Hearing the door open, I saw a man who was a replica of Simon Pegg—Hugh Campbell Sr.
"Hughie. You okay, son?" He sat beside me and stroked my head. I sat up and leaned against the headrest.
"I'm okay dad, but A-Train k-killed Robin," I said with a frown on my face. It's not that I care so much about Robin; it's just that this body is awfully clingy to anything it loves, and Robin was his girlfriend. Well, I might as well give Butcher the chance to plant the bug and kill Translucent.
[I can hack into the Vought tower if you want.]
'Well, isn't that convenient? But no, I want Translucent to die first to start the chain reaction. We can hack into the tower ourselves without Butcher knowing.'
[Understood.]
I looked at my dad—well, my new dad. Since my real father died of cancer in the previous world, I guess I'll treasure him for the time being.
"Hughie, that was an accident. I know you want what's best for Robin. But please, leave it, son." Well, he's a snowflake, alright.
"I'll try," I said as I slowly stood up. "When are we leaving? I'm alright now." I looked at him as I walked toward the table where my clothes were nearly folded and began to put them on after changing out of the hospital wear.
"We can leave now. In fact, I came to wake you up and take you with me," Dad said with a smile, and I nodded. We walked through the hallway when I saw a man in a suit approaching us. Well, well...
"Mr. Hugh Campbell, I'm from Vought American, and I've come to discuss the best course of action for both of us."
Of course, I understood he was talking about the NDA. Well, I'm not going to fall for that easily. "You're talking about me shutting up about how A-Train murdered my girlfriend in front of my eyes," I said with a stern look and a slight glare.
He looked around and saw some curious eyes on us, wondering what was going on. "Let's take this somewhere more... private?" he asked with a strained smile. I nodded and walked out of the hospital with Dad.
"Dad, I'll call you," I said with a small smile. He looked like he wanted to come with me, but after a moment, he nodded.
We walked into a restaurant and sat down. The waiter approached us. "What would you like, sir?" he asked.
I shook my head and answered, "Coffee, without sugar, please." The man and the waiter looked flabbergasted. I guess not many people drink coffee without sugar? Well, whatever.
"And you, sir?" he turned to ask the man in the suit, who just looked at him before smiling.
"A glass of water will do fine." He then turned to me as the waiter walked away.
"Now, onto the subject Mr. Hugh Campbell—" I interrupted him before he could say any more.
"250,000." His smile vanished, and a slight cold look passed through his eyes. "You wanted me to sign an NDA, right? 250,000. Or this story goes on the internet, and I have evidence as well." I pointed to the camera button on my shirt, and he paled. Heh, good thing Hughie was testing that button camera out.
"Sir, please don't do anything rash. I will contact the higher-ups right away and arrange what you need." His knees must be shaking now. Well, whatever. I wanted some money anyway if I was going to set up a lab to re-engineer Compound V.
"You know what? Make that 250,000 into 500,000 dollars. And connect me with Stan Edgar." I smiled at him as he paled once more.