Annie called me the day after the Compound King incident. Her voice was tight, controlled, like she was barely holding herself together.
"We need to talk. In person. Now."
"What's wrong?"
"Not over the phone. Meet me at the place we got coffee. Twenty minutes."
She hung up before I could respond.
I found her at the coffee shop, sitting in the back corner, wearing sunglasses indoors and a baseball cap pulled low. Trying to be inconspicuous, which ironically made her more noticeable.
"Annie, what's going on?"
She pulled out her phone and showed me a news article. "Compound King found dead in his illegal fighting arena. Forty-three victims discovered. Anonymous tip led police to the location."
"That's good news, isn't it? One less monster on the streets."
"The Deep confesses and flees. Translucent dies mysteriously. Now Compound King. And you know what all three have in common?" She pulled off her sunglasses, and her eyes were red from crying. "You. You talked to me right before The Deep's confession. You were in the area when Translucent died. And I saw you yesterday near the Bronx."
My blood ran cold. She'd been tracking me, putting the pieces together.
"Annie—"
"Don't lie to me. Please don't lie. Are you killing Supes?"
I could hypnotize her right now. Make her forget this conversation, forget her suspicions. It would be easy, safe, the smart tactical choice.
But looking into her desperate, hopeful, terrified eyes, I couldn't do it.
"Yes," I admitted quietly. "I'm killing Supes. But only specific ones. Murderers, rapists, predators that Vought protects. People the world is genuinely better off without."
She was silent for a long moment, processing. "How?"
"I have abilities beyond what I've shown you. I can control minds, absorb powers from those I kill. Every Supe I eliminate makes me stronger."
"Oh my God." She put her head in her hands. "You're like... you're a serial killer. A Supe serial killer."
"I'm an executioner. There's a difference."
"Is there?" She looked up, tears streaming down her face. "You're taking lives, Alex. You're playing god, deciding who lives and dies."
"Someone has to. Vought protects monsters. The justice system can't touch them. They have unlimited resources, unlimited power, and zero accountability. So yes, I'm playing god. Because the alternative is letting them keep hurting people."
"What about due process? Trials? The law?"
"The law doesn't apply to Supes. You know that. How many crimes has The Deep committed that Vought covered up? How many people did Translucent violate? How many died in Compound King's arena while the police looked the other way because Vought paid them off? The system is broken, Annie. I'm just working outside it."
She stood up abruptly, pacing. "I should turn you in. Report you to Vought, to the authorities. You're a threat."
"You could. But you won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're a good person who understands that sometimes good people have to do bad things to stop worse things from happening. Because deep down, you know I'm right about Vought. And because..." I paused, choosing my words carefully. "Because you want The Seven to burn just as much as I do."
She stopped pacing, her back to me, shoulders shaking.
"I hate them," she whispered. "I hate what they are. What they made me become. I joined The Seven to be a hero, and instead I'm a corporate mascot for a company that protects rapists and murderers. I smile for cameras while people die. I'm complicit, Alex. I'm part of the problem."
"Then be part of the solution. Work with me. Help me take them down from the inside."
She turned around, wiping her eyes. "If I help you, people will die. More Supes will die."
"Supes who deserve it. I'm not targeting innocents, Annie. I have a list—verified killers, proven predators. People that even you would agree need to be stopped."
"And what happens when you run out of clearly guilty targets? When the lines get blurry? When you start seeing everyone as a potential power source?"
It was the same question Hughie and Frenchie had asked. The same fear that kept me up at night.
"That's why I need people like you. To keep me honest. To make sure I don't become the monster I'm hunting."
She studied me for a long time, and I could see the war happening behind her eyes. Everything she'd been taught, everything she believed, warring against the harsh reality of what The Seven actually was.
Finally, she sat back down. "If I help you... I need to know everything. Who you're working with, what the plan is, all of it. No more secrets."
"Deal. But not here. Come with me. I'll introduce you to the team."
"Team?"
I smiled slightly. "You didn't think I was doing this alone, did you?"