Chapter 13

Hmm, I'll release ONE hostage.

But for the rest, you know what to do.

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Chapter 13

"A-As all of you can see, sales have dropped by one point since last quarter. While that might not sound a lot, that one point is millions of dollars we are losing! W-We need to step it u-up people!"

Starlight's gaze landed on the man who stood at the other end of the table, his voice rising in a frantic rant about the figures laid out before them. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing - it was as if he truly believed the fate of the world rested on these numbers and charts.

With a shake of her head, Starlight turned to glance at her fellow heroes, curious to see how they were taking this spectacle. Some looked bored, others somewhat interested, but the most interesting reaction of all was Homelander's.

She watched him practically shake in impatience while glaring at the person complaining about the sales numbers. She could see the man visibly shrink under his gaze, stuttering as they tried their best to ignore eyes that could laser them in half if they wanted to.

"And how the hell we can step it up, huh? Besides A-Train here, everyone is too busy being a hero to be making movies and doing interviews!" Ground Hawk growled as he crossed his arms, his hammer hands clinking together as he did so.

"W-Well we cou-"

"What the fuck do you mean by that?! I do my fair share of being a hero as well asshole!" A-Train defended himself angrily, feeling attacked by the hammer hero for calling him out.

"Oh please! Out of everyone in this room, you have the lowest fucking rescue scores! And don't act like we didn't see that new ad that's been airing in the town square the past week!"

As the volume rose, the tension in the room was palpable, a heat haze settling over them. The two argue back and forth with Ground Hawk accusing A-Train of lazing around and A-Train just throwing insults while defending himself.

As they argued with one another, the rest of the heroes acted like it was an everyday occurrence. Blindspot shook his head at them, while Meave sighed tirelessly to herself, and Black Noir did a good imitation of a statue as he held his hot cup of tea in his hand.

Worried that they were about to start coming to blows, Annie looked towards the leader of the team hoping that he would stop them before things became violent. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw him open his mouth to order them to stop the argument, but surprisingly it wasn't him that stopped the fight.

"Ground Hawk! A-Train! We have a new member of our team with us today and you will not be fighting like little children in front of her! AM I CLEAR?!" Queen Maeve's commanding voice silenced the two in seconds.

Ground Hawk and A-Train both spun around at Queen Maeve's words, looking like two guilty schoolboys caught in the act. The room was filled with a stunned silence for a moment before both of them muttered subdued 'yes ma'am's under their breaths. In

"Good," Queen Maeve fixed her steely gaze on both of them for a moment longer before turning her attention to Starlight, her stern expression softening. "I apologize for that unprofessional display, Starlight."

"N-No it's fine! Really! I know tensions can run high in this line of work," Starlight replied, clearly surprised by the unexpected intervention from Maeve.

Queen Maeve regarded her with a smile, and just like that, the tension seemed to seep out of the room. The rest of the heroes began to relax into their chairs once more, their attention shifting away from the day's drama.

A-Train and Ground Hawk glared at each other from the corners of their eyes but remained quiet. The new member's presence was clearly creating a different atmosphere within the group. A stern silence followed as everyone turned their gaze back to the one leading the meeting, who had meanwhile collected himself enough to continue with his presentation.

"W-We have a new ad campaign planned for next month, featuring our newest member, Starlight. We are confident that with a new member of The Seven will help boost our numbers," said the man at the other end of the table, gesturing towards a series of storyboards. "We also have some potential partnerships lined up that should generate additional revenue."

Everyone's eyes flicked towards Starlight once again. It was her turn to shrink under their collective gaze, but she straightened her back and held her head high. If she was going to be a part of this team, she wouldn't let herself be intimidated.

"But i-in my opinion, if we c-could make just one movie about you H-Homelander s-sir, w-we-"

"No."

With one word, billions of dollars were lost to Vaught that day.

The meeting continued for some time after that, passing through various topics. There were mentions of upcoming events and interview schedules, charity events they would attend, and many other things that had nothing to do with being a hero. It was only after what seemed like hours that the meeting officially ended.

The newest member of The Seven could feel her head spin at all the talks of scores, points lost and gained, and merchandise sales. She was even beginning to think she was perhaps at the wrong meeting.

She was knocked out of her thoughts when the loud groaning of Ground Hawk could be heard. She turned her head to look at the hero and found him with his head down against the table with a scowl on his face.

"It gets longer and longer with every freaking time!" The hammer-handed hero grumbled as he looked over at John who was also trying his best to not do the same thing. "I'm surprised to see you here, Johny! You almost never join us in these boring ass meetings! Not to mention staying for the entire thing!"

John smiled as he cracked his neck before responding back. "I did not stay for the entire thing, Reggie. I actually left a couple of times to do some saving, didn't you notice?"

Ground Hawk's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, what? You can't be serious! When?"

John couldn't help but chuckle at Ground Hawk's disbelief. "While they were arguing about merchandising, I was pulling a couple of kids out of a burning building, and during the discussion about ad campaigns, I stopped a robbery."

A slight smile played on his lips as he listed his accomplishments in brief intervals.

"Don't tell me nobody noticed my absence." He said in disbelief, looking around the room at all the surprised faces.

"Was too busy trying to keep my eyes open to even notice," Ground Hawk said with a grunt.

Blindspot simply pointed at his eyes.

Homelander laughed at that and so did some of the others.

"Can't be a hero if you're sleeping on the job, Reggie," Homelander relayed, his hearty laugh echoing throughout the room.

Ground Hawk grumbled but didn't argue back, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. He was too tired to continue the banter.

Starlight looked around at her new teammates, trying to reconcile what she had seen in this meeting with what she had imagined The Seven to be. They were Earth's greatest protectors, the shining beacon of hope and strength for humankind. Yet, they were also everyday individuals, bickering among themselves and bored by mundane meetings.

"Now that the boring meeting is over, I think it's time for you to finally introduce the newest member of our team, John!" Maeve turned to look at her with a wide smile on her face, much to her nervousness.

John turned his eyes away from the grumbling Reggie and looked to Annie who was sitting next to him.

"Absolutely," John agreed, rising from his chair. The room fell silent as all eyes turned towards him and the young woman next to him. Annie, or Starlight as she was now known, swallowed nervously but remained composed under their collective gaze.

"Everyone," John began, his authoritative voice filling the quiet room. "I'm sure most of you have seen her already on various media outlets...or in person just now."

He paused, glancing at Ground Hawk and A-Train with a pointed look that caused them both to squirm uncomfortably in their seats.

"But I'd like to officially introduce you to Starlight. She's the newest member of The Seven and a very promising young hero that I have personally recruited."

He turned towards Starlight then, offering her an encouraging smile.

"Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?" He suggested, gesturing for her to stand.

Nodding her head, and taking a deep breath, Annie rose from her seat. She was no stranger to public speaking - her mother had made sure of that - but addressing The Seven was a different matter entirely.

"I'm...I'm so very honored to be here," she began hesitantly, then cleared her throat and forced herself to speak with more conviction. "My name is Annie January, but most people know me as Starlight. I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa where I started my career as a hero."

She didn't elaborate on the terror and confusion that had initially come with those 'abilities', or how her mother had pushed her relentlessly into the public eye. Instead, she focused on the good that had come since then – the lives saved, the people inspired.

She waited in silence, waiting for their judgment to be passed, her heart pounding in her chest. The room was silent as they scrutinized her. Then Maeve broke the silence with a warm laugh, bringing a warm atmosphere to the room.

"Well then, Annie," she said, "I think it's safe to say we all look forward to working with you! It'll be nice having another girl on the team."

Annie's eyes widened for a moment, then she broke into a relieved smile. The tension in her shoulders ebbed away and she allowed herself to nod, gratefully accepting Maeve's words.

"Thank you," she replied, finally remembering to breathe as she took a bow. "Your majesty."

Annie's words hung in the air, and an awkward air blanketed the room. Her face flushed a deep red as she realized that she had addressed Maeve as 'your majesty' out of sheer nervousness. She looked up from her curtsy to see John with a face-splitting smile while Maeve looked at her stunned. Everyone else was simply frozen in place, unable to comprehend what she just did.

"Pffff! Hahaha!"

John was the first to break the silence, his laughter echoing around the room like a contagious disease, followed by Ground Hawk who snorted so forcefully that he choked on his own spit, causing his eyes to water as he joined in the mirth.

A-Train sat there stone-faced, fighting for his life to not join in on the laughter knowing he was already on thin ice with Maeve. Blindspot hid his smile by turning away from everyone else and covering his mouth to stop the laughter from coming out.

Noir took a sip of his tea.

Maeve's complexion turned a shade shared by ripe tomatoes. Her carefully composed face crumbled as her brows furrowed in annoyance at her teammate's laughter. This was not the first time anyone had addressed her with such overblown grandeur, but it was the first that it happened in front of her entire team.

"Shut it!" Maeve ordered them but it only made them laugh harder. Maeve's eyes were narrowed at John who was laughing softly, his hand clutching his stomach. "Why are you laughing so hard?! It's not even that funny!"

"O-Of course your majesty, tis not funny at all!" John's voice was filled with poorly hidden mirth as he made an over-dramatic bow, "P-Please forgives this unworthy peasant for the c-crime of laughing at her grand m-majesty.

He managed the sentence between fits of chuckling, maintaining an exaggerated expression of respect, his right hand placed dramatically over his heart. His bright eyes twinkled with mischief as he dropped to one knee in a grandiose bow before Maeve.

Maeve groaned in annoyance, quickly crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the man before her. Her blonde locks fell in casual disarray around her face, the fiery light of irritation reflected in her crystal blue eyes. "I swear if you start—"

"My queen!" John interrupted, not taking a hint from Maeve's growing irritation. He reached for Maeve's hand elegantly as if he was about to kiss it, playing along with the jest more than necessary. "Say thy words and this unworthy peasant will obey your every grand order!"

The room erupted with laughter once more, much to Maeve's embarrassment.

Annie watched on helplessly as Maeve rolled her eyes dramatically, but a small smile tugged on the corners of Maeve's lips. It was unclear whether she was fighting the urge to laugh it off or knock John flat on his back—Annie couldn't decide which.

"Enough! Stop it already," Maeve commanded half-heartedly, trying to suppress a smile that threatened to break out.

She snatched her hand away from John and threw a crumbled ball of paper at his head, causing him to fall over dramatically. "I swear if anyone else calls me 'your majesty' agai—"

"Hahahah! But what about 'Your Grand Highness'? Does that coun- oof!" Ground Hawk was about to ask before he was hit by something that Maeve threw at him… which was John.

Noir, who somehow saw that coming, picked up his teacup and moved out of the way at the last second.

John, the once fearless leader of The Seven, was now sprawled on top of Ground Hawk in a terribly undignified heap. Their combined weight toppled Ground Hawk's chair, and they went crashing to the floor in a tangle of limbs. John couldn't even attempt to untangle himself from Ground Hawk, as he was still laughing too hard to do anything else.

"A-And what about, 'Her Supreme Excellency'?" John added from his place on the floor, grinning up at Maeve who was now red in the face and trying - but failing - to hide her amusement.

"I'm warning you," Maeve clenched her teeth, pointing an accusatory finger at John.

Blindspot quickly rose from his comfortable seat to help his teammates up, but not before chuckling at their predicament. "Man, you guys need to stop clowning around."

John managed to push himself off Ground Hawk and got back onto his feet. He steadied himself and, with a quick glance at Maeve's glowering visage, let out an apologetic cough.

"Okay, okay," he conceded amidst fits of laughter as he helped Reggie up from the ground alongside Blindspot. "We're done. No more teasing the 'queen.'"

Despite his words, John couldn't keep the dumb grin off his face.

Maeve gave him one last withering look before crossing her arms again and huffing dramatically. But then a small smile began to curve her lips upward – it was clear she was fighting back her own laughter too.

Annie gave a timid giggle at the playful scene unfolding before her. She felt a sense of relief wash over her. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as she had initially thought.

Hearing her laugh, John looked over at her and smiled.

"Welcome to your new family, Starlight," he said between chuckles. "You're one of us now."

Annie felt a rush of warmth, her heart fluttering in her chest as she looked around at the laughing faces of The Seven. They were all so different from each other - each with their own unique powers and personalities… but it was good.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she replied with a small smile. Her blush had faded, and she looked at Maeve and made a quick second decision. "I look forward to working with you the most, my Supreme Excellency."

The room fell silent once again, each member of The Seven looking at Annie with surprise and once again, disbelief. Before they then they howled with laughter once more, their boisterous voices echoing throughout the room and into the halls.

Maeve lowered her head in defeat before she too joined in on their laughter.