V.G.D. Training Base
Steve Rogers stood before a perfectly aligned formation of trainees, dressed in a tactical vest, a clipboard in hand.
He was now the Chief Instructor of V.G.D.
"Listen up!"
Steve's voice rolled across the training field—no microphone needed, yet every word struck home.
"In front of the cameras, you're celebrities. Idols."
"But on the battlefield?"
"You're targets."
"The enemy doesn't care how good your suit looks. They won't hesitate because your fans are screaming your name."
"Forget autographs. Forget selfies."
"Learn how to cover your teammates. Learn how to crawl out of a pile of corpses with one leg shattered!"
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Dozens of newly contracted city heroes roared back in unison.
Steve nodded, satisfied.
"I know you've got powers. Some of you are bulletproof. Some can grow spikes. Some of you can stretch your tongues three meters."
"But to me?"
"You're just kids waving loaded guns around!"
"Being a superhero isn't about flexing muscles."
"It's judgment. Restraint. Protection."
He pointed to the simulated tactical board behind him.
"Lesson one: Collateral Damage Control."
"If you level an entire block just to catch a pickpocket, you're not a hero."
"You're an asshole."
-----
As Antony watched with clear enjoyment through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the office door suddenly burst open.
Ashley Barrett stormed in, her expression pure panic.
"Homelander! We've got a situation!"
"Did the sky fall, Ashley?" Antony asked calmly.
"Worse than that!" She waved her tablet like a weapon.
"Wade! That lunatic! He's gone!"
"Gone?" Antony raised an eyebrow.
"Two hours ago he got his first signing bonus—five million dollars!" Ashley shrieked.
"Then he vanished! Phone's dead! GPS shows his tracker inside a dead fish in the Hudson River!"
Antony's eyes narrowed.
"That little bastard…"
"So what do we do?" Ashley stomped her foot.
"Citywide manhunt?"
"No need," Antony waved dismissively.
"He's already out of New York."
"But sir! He's a member of the Seven—this is a breach of contract—"
"Ashley," Antony cut her off.
"You still don't understand Wade."
"He's a rabid dog. Lock him in a cage and he'll chew through the bars."
He smiled coldly.
"When he blows through the money—or lands himself in trouble he can't crawl out of—he'll come back."
"And when he does…"
"I'll teach him what it means to have a strict father."
"Release a statement," Antony continued.
"Say Deadpool is on a highly classified overseas mission. Don't let the media think we can't control our people."
"…Yes, sir."
-----
Washington, D.C. — The Triskelion
Alexander Pierce sat in his office, a cup of long-cold coffee before him.
Outside the window, massive drone-mounted billboards hovered in the sky—each bearing Homelander's arrogant smile.
A silent taunt.
"Two months," Pierce said quietly, fury simmering beneath his voice.
"Two full months. And the Council is still dragging its feet."
Across from him, Jasper Sitwell wiped sweat from his brow.
"Sir… Vought's influence is overwhelming," Sitwell said nervously.
"After President Ellis's speech, most member states are leaning toward purchasing Vought's defense services."
"Some are even proposing budget cuts to S.H.I.E.L.D., redirecting funds to Vought's global expansion."
"I suspect Vought has… persuaded several councilors."
Smash!
Pierce swept the coffee cup off the desk.
"If Vought monopolizes global defense, S.H.I.E.L.D. won't survive."
"Neither will Hydra."
"We can't wait any longer."
He turned, eyes sharp and ruthless.
"If they think the world is safe…"
"Then we'll show them how fragile it really is."
He looked straight at Sitwell.
"Activate Hydra's sleeper cells worldwide."
"But sir—people will die—"
"For order," Pierce snapped, "sacrifice is necessary."
"We need chaos. Fear."
"Only then will those idiotic councilors remember why Project Insight exists."
Pierce issued the command.
"Targets: undecided Security Council states."
"Japan. Poland. India. Brazil."
"Explosions. Attacks. Assassinations."
"I want panic."
"I want them begging for preemptive strikes."
"Yes, sir. And… the U.S. mainland?"
Pierce squinted, gaze settling on his monitor.
A Vought promotional photo—several second-tier city heroes smiling for the camera.
"Doesn't Vought have plenty of city guardians?"
"Then let the world see how fragile those guardians really are."
"Sitwell," Pierce said softly,
"wake the Winter Soldier."
"It's time to teach those kids in spandex a lesson."
"I want everyone to see—"
"If Vought's heroes can't even protect themselves…"
"How can they protect the world?"
-----
Over the next month, the world descended into an eerie unrest.
First—Tokyo's Ginza District suffered a massive gas attack. Thousands hospitalized.
Then—several key government buildings in South Africa were erased by car bombs.
Poland's energy pipelines were destroyed, plunging half the nation into blackout.
Brazil erupted into an armed coup, rebels wielding advanced, untraceable weapons.
The Security Council spiraled into chaos.
Emergency requests flooded Vought International.
"Homelander! We need help!"
"Please—save our people!"
Antony read each plea, smiling wider by the minute.
"Ashley," he said,
"plot the Seven's routes. Jessica and I move independently—no flights needed."
"This is the Seven's first global tour."
He stood, straightening his cape.
"We're going to play saviors."
"Notify the media division. Polish the lenses."
"Every country we visit gets at least two hundred Hummingbird drones."
And so, for an entire month, the world saw that red-and-blue figure.
Every appearance triggered oceans of cheers.
His global popularity skyrocketed—visibly, undeniably.
….
But while Antony basked in worldwide adoration…
A shadow crept across America.
Chicago. Midnight.
Rain poured like a waterfall.
The Wind City Guardians—three Vought-contracted city heroes—were pinned behind shipping containers in an abandoned factory.
"Damn it—who is that thing?!"
Their leader, Iron Arm Joe, clutched his shattered left arm.
That arm had the hardness of steel—yet it had been snapped like a twig.
"I—I didn't even see him," Sonic Siren trembled.
"He's like a mechanical ghost… my sonic attacks didn't do anything…"
Thud.
A heavy footstep landed on top of the container.
The three looked up in terror.
Lightning split the sky.
A man stood above them—half-mask covering his face, left arm gleaming with cold metal.
He looked down at them.
Silent.
Inhuman.
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals