"You know what? You really make me sick!" Billy yanked out a USB drive and slammed it down in front of Hughie. "Want to see if these people deserve your sympathy? Take a good look at their true colors!"
Billy stormed out, needing a cigarette to calm his rage.
Hughie picked up the drive with trembling fingers. Could it really contain evidence of The Seven's crimes? Despite his hatred for A-Train, he'd genuinely believed the others were heroes.
Opening the files revealed a horrifying collection of videos—hidden footage Billy had compiled showing The Seven's real activities. Most depicted the so-called superheroes murdering innocent people.
In one clip, Homelander "rescued" a hijacked airliner by deliberately crashing it into the ground. The massive explosion didn't just kill the hijackers—it incinerated every passenger aboard.
Hughie stared in shock. This was nothing like the Homelander he'd known—the perfect hero with incredible powers and that warm, reassuring smile. The man in this footage was a butcher, his heat vision deliberately piercing through passengers' skulls.
"This... this can't be real!"
Hughie clicked another file showing Queen Maeve. While more restrained than Homelander, she still killed with casual indifference when it suited her purposes.
Video after video revealed the same pattern. The Seven weren't heroes—they were powered thugs who used their abilities for personal gratification while Vought handled the cleanup.
One audio clip captured Homelander during a "rescue" operation: "If a few people die during the rescue, that's normal, isn't it?"
The man was clearly massacring unarmed civilians while calmly explaining to his team that casualties were acceptable.
"They're just criminals with superpowers," Hughie whispered. "I was so naive to think they were good people. Hell, A-Train's practically a saint compared to the rest of them."
He finally understood The Seven's true nature. His last illusions crumbled completely.
What Hughie didn't notice was the small blue energy butterfly that had emerged from behind him, circled once, and vanished. The razor butterfly had infiltrated the safe house through ventilation pipes, hiding in the shadows while its energy signature observed everything.
"The game is about to begin. I wonder if the Boys are ready."
Marcus watched Hughie through the energy feed, speaking softly to himself. He planned to let the vigilante team investigate Compound V's origins while he entertained these counterfeit heroes personally.
Marcus shifted into his Wukong form, but rather than acting directly, he manifested a clone using the Celestial Twin ability.
"Go have fun with those guys. Just don't kill them—yet."
Marcus wasn't ready to eliminate The Seven. He needed them to self-destruct spectacularly, and before that happened, his clone would provide some... motivation.
A fast-moving cloud appeared over the city, streaking toward Queen Maeve's location.
Maeve was already in a foul mood. Corrupted by void energy, anger consumed her thoughts as she searched for someone to blame. She possessed tremendous power yet remained chained to Vought's corporate interests.
Worse, she couldn't even acknowledge her current relationship publicly. Her history with Homelander complicated everything—as his ex-girlfriend and fellow Seven member, she knew his true character intimately.
The man was a complete psychopath with severe mommy issues and an obsessive need for control. Even after their breakup, he refused to let anyone close to her. In his twisted mind, she remained his property.
Her current lover being a woman wouldn't matter to Homelander. The moment he discovered their relationship, he'd obliterate her girlfriend without hesitation.
Maeve knew he was capable of it. His volatile personality couldn't be controlled, not even by Stillwell, the corporate executive he was obsessed with.
BANG!
The high-speed cloud slammed into Queen Maeve, sending her flying like a pedestrian struck by a speeding car.
The impact didn't seriously injure her, but when she recovered, she found her attacker standing calmly before her.
An armored figure with ornate feathers adorning its helmet, flowing robes around its waist, and a distinctive tail faced her down.
"I heard you were looking for me," Marcus's voice emanated from the clone. "If you want to find me so badly, let's see if you're strong enough to handle what you've found."
The clone stepped forward, appearing instantly in front of Queen Maeve, and drove a devastating punch into her abdomen.
Despite her combat prowess, Maeve was launched backward, crashing hard into the asphalt.
Witnesses scattered as Queen Maeve's assault played out in public. Vought's monitoring systems immediately relayed the situation to headquarters, triggering emergency protocols.
"Attention all Seven members: converge on Queen Maeve's location immediately for support!"
The moment the alert went out, every available member of The Seven raced toward the battle zone.
Queen Maeve climbed to her feet, studying the clone warily. This strange armored opponent posed a greater threat than even Homelander—something she'd never thought possible.
"So you're the one who attacked Vought?"
She couldn't understand how someone with such overwhelming power had bothered with drone strikes on the tower. Why not attack directly from the start?
Still, at least she'd found their target. She just needed to hold him off until reinforcements arrived. She might not be able to defeat this clone alone, but with the full power of The Seven backing her up, surely they could overwhelm any single opponent.
Though void energy had corrupted their thoughts, it hadn't shattered their team cohesion entirely. They could still work together when necessary. Why should she face this monster alone when help was coming?