The Vought-sponsored Superhero Convention occupied the entire Javits Center in Manhattan. Banners with The Seven's faces hung from every wall, corporate sponsors had elaborate booths, and hundreds of costumed Supes wandered the halls desperately trying to network their way into contracts.
I walked in as Annie's plus-one, wearing a simple black suit and using my hypnosis to subtly encourage security to overlook any irregularities in my credentials. Being with a member of The Seven helped—nobody questioned Starlight's guest too closely.
"This is surreal," I muttered as we passed a Supe demonstrating his ability to change the color of small objects. His "power" was essentially useless, but he had a whole booth dedicated to it.
"Welcome to the bottom tier of the Supe economy," Annie said quietly. "These are the desperate ones. People with barely functional powers trying to convince Vought they're worth investing in. Most of them will never get contracts."
"Are any of them dangerous?"
"Some. See that guy over there?" She nodded toward a muscular man in a red costume. "That's Crater. Super strength, but he's got a history of bar fights and assault charges. Vought keeps him at arm's length because he's a liability, but he keeps showing up to these things hoping they'll change their minds."
I studied Crater carefully, using my enhanced senses to analyze him. Strong, definitely, but not as strong as me after absorbing Compound King's abilities. Manageable.
"He on the list?"
"Yeah. Three confirmed assaults, one suspected murder. Vought paid off all the victims."
"Then he's a target."
We continued walking, and Annie pointed out other Supes of interest. Some were genuinely trying to do good with limited abilities. Others were clearly dangerous individuals that Vought kept in limbo—powerful enough to be useful but unstable enough to be risks.
I made mental notes on each potential target, ranking them by priority and danger level.
"There are cameras everywhere," Frenchie's voice came through my hidden earpiece. "But I'm in their security system. I can loop footage for five-minute windows. More than that risks detection."
"Understood," I subvocalized, barely moving my lips. "How many viable targets have we identified?"
"Seven confirmed. Three more possibles. If you can take them all, you'll add some serious firepower to your arsenal."
Seven Supes in one night. It was ambitious, dangerous, and exactly what I needed to accelerate my timeline.
"Annie, I'm going to start isolating targets. Can you create distractions if needed?"
"Yes, but be careful. Black Noir is here. He's been watching the crowd."
My blood ran cold. Black Noir—Homelander's clone, the silent assassin, one of the most dangerous members of The Seven. If he noticed what I was doing...
"Where?"
"Second floor, northwest corner. He's been in the same spot for twenty minutes, just... watching."
I used my enhanced vision to scan the area she indicated. There—a figure in black armor, completely motionless, observing the crowd below with an intensity that was distinctly predatory.
"He's looking for threats," I realized. "Vought assigned him as security because they're paranoid after the recent deaths."
"Can you avoid him?"
"Maybe. My invisibility should work, but if he's got enhanced senses, he might detect me anyway. We'll need to be extra careful."
I felt the familiar thrill of danger mixing with anticipation. This was the most high-stakes operation yet—surrounded by hundreds of Supes, with Black Noir actively hunting for threats, trying to quietly eliminate multiple targets without triggering a mass panic.
One mistake and I'd have an entire convention center full of super-powered individuals coming after me.
"Let's start with Crater," I decided. "He's isolated near the west hall. Annie, can you lure him to the service corridor on the east side? Tell him Vought wants to discuss a potential contract."
"On it."
I watched Annie approach Crater, all smiles and celebrity charm. Starlight talking to a nobody like him would be the highlight of his year. She said something I couldn't hear from this distance, and his face lit up with excitement.
He followed her like a puppy.
I activated my invisibility and trailed behind them, moving through the crowd like a ghost. Nobody could see me, and my enhanced speed let me dodge people without bumping into anyone.
Annie led Crater into a service corridor that Frenchie had identified as having minimal camera coverage. Perfect.
"Wait here," Annie told him. "The Vought rep will be here in a minute."
She left before he could respond, and I dropped my invisibility right in front of him.
"What the—who are you?" Crater demanded, instantly aggressive.
I locked eyes with him and pushed with overwhelming hypnotic force. His will crumbled immediately—subtlety wasn't an option when time was critical.
"Don't speak. Don't move. Don't resist."
His body went rigid, eyes glazed.
"You've hurt a lot of people," I said quietly, transforming into my Mazahs form. Black lightning crackled around my body. "That ends now."
The energy blast was quick and clean. He barely had time to register what was happening before it was over.
Golden light streamed from his body into mine. Super strength—redundant with what I already had, but it layered on top of my existing abilities, making me even stronger. I could feel my muscles density increasing, my bones reinforcing themselves.
Nine powers now.
"Target one down," I reported through the earpiece. "Moving to target two."
"Be careful," Butcher's voice came back. "Black Noir just moved. He's circling the floor."
Damn. He'd definitely sensed something.