Free Web NovelChapter 143: 143: Reunion
Soon, news of the 718 train departing from New York’s Grand Central Station getting blasted by terrorists mid-journey exploded across America. One hundred twenty-one people dead.
The story blew up instantly.
Google searches for related topics skyrocketed by hundreds of times in a single day.
Amazon orders for self-defense tools jumped by hundreds of thousands. Gun shops on the street had lines stretching down the block. The owners stood there grinning like idiots as customers poured in.
Vought was another big winner.
In just one afternoon, Vought stock trading volume shot up seventy-eight percent. Everyone suddenly realized that with terrorist attacks getting worse, Vought’s superheroes were becoming more important and rarer than ever.
Back inside Vought Tower.
Edgar called another Seven meeting. He started by slapping Stormfront down.
"The train explosion has shaken the entire country. It’s extremely serious. Yes. I’m officially criticizing you, Stormfront. You didn’t save a single hostage. I’m very disappointed. I will not allow something like this to happen again."
The entire meeting was being live-streamed to the public.
@NYGothGirl97: It’s not really Stormfront’s fault. She couldn’t have known there were bombs on the train.
@IncestIsWincest: Why didn’t they send Homelander? frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
@BonnieBlue: We believe Stormfront did everything she could. Those terrorists were just too cunning. How could she have known that there was a bomb?
...Viewers flooded the chat defending her.
"I’m truly sorry. This was my failure to handle properly. I admit my lack of experience. I couldn’t stop the incident." Stormfront lowered her head, putting on a perfect show of guilt.
"As for the train explosion, as CEO of Vought I must also take responsibility. My decision was a major mistake. I should have assigned this mission to Homelander."
Edgar’s face stayed serious as he looked over every member of The Seven.
Standing behind him, Ivan immediately saw this was all a carefully staged performance by Edgar.
The goal was simple: get ahead of the narrative and kill any backlash before it started. From the comments rolling in, Edgar had clearly succeeded.
Homelander stayed quiet, but his face said everything about how he felt.
If this had happened before Stormfront joined Vought, Edgar would have given the job to him without question.
He had only learned about the train attack a short while ago. There was no doubt Edgar had sent Stormfront on purpose to undermine him.
At least the result was decent. Heh. That idiot Stormfront had fucked it up.
If she had actually saved a bunch of passengers, her popularity would have exploded again. His own position would have been in real danger.
"I, Edgar, hereby announce that Vought will establish a charity foundation. Its purpose is to provide support for the victims’ families. In addition, on behalf of every Vought employee, I would like to observe ten seconds of silence for those who lost their lives. May they find peace in heaven."
...
Meanwhile,
Butcher stared at the message from Hughie and the others, teeth clenched so hard they might crack.
"That fucking bitch. I swear to God, I am going to kill each one of you crazy fucks.. but I’ll make sure.. your death will be a special kind of diabolical." Butcher already hated supes with a burning passion. Stormfront’s stunt had poured gasoline on that fire.
He had reached the secret location Mallory mentioned.
Butcher knew the priority right now was rescuing Becca. He forced down his rage and shoved the phone back in his pocket.
The secret location sat in a remote suburb of New York State. The area was almost empty, still mostly untouched wilderness.
After Butcher pushed through the trees and crossed a river, he soon spotted the steel-walled prison compound.
The walls were over ten meters high, with armed Vought guards at the entrance.
Butcher pulled out binoculars and peered through a gap in the wall. He saw the villa he remembered and Becca out front, tending to the lawn.
Storming the place was suicide. Vought had it locked down tight. Even a stray dog trying to get in would get shot on sight.
Luckily, Butcher was good at this shit. Under cover of night, he used his tools to scale the massive wall.
After that he had to crawl slowly to avoid the spotlights.
There wasn’t much cover. Butcher locked onto a car not far away. When he finally reached it, he was surprised to find the back door slightly open. The second the spotlight swept past, he slipped inside.
"Whew!" After all that, Butcher let out a huge breath, his nerves still wired tight.
But he didn’t rest. He reached up and hit the car’s hazard lights.
Meanwhile, Becca, who had been heading back inside, noticed the flashing lights and walked over to check.
"!!?"
That was when she spotted Butcher curled up in the back seat. Without a word, she got into the driver’s seat and drove toward a small bridge.
It was the only spot without cameras and patrol checks, basically the safest place around.
"How did you find this place?" Becca asked once they were in the car.
"If I want to find something, there’s nowhere I can’t go."
Their eyes met in the rearview mirror.
"No cameras under the bridge. It’s safe." Once Becca parked under the bridge, they got out and immediately pulled each other into a tight embrace.
Butcher’s eyes looked a little dazed. "Darling, I’ve been waiting for this moment for seven years. I can’t believe it’s real."
"And now?"
Becca cupped his face and kissed him.
They made out like they were glued together for several minutes, swapping spit like there was no tomorrow. When they finally pulled apart, Butcher still looked like he wanted more.
"Now what?"
"I’m getting you out of here. Out of America," Butcher said.
Becca looked into his eyes. "Not just me. Us. Don’t forget Ryan."
"Of course. Him too."
"You.. you still haven’t let go of your hatred. Can you please drop all of this?" Becca had spent enough time with Butcher to know him well. She could see the lie in his eyes.
"I swear to God, I’ve let it go." God held about as much importance to Butcher as a toilet plunger. Useful when needed, then tossed aside.
"Don’t try to bullshit me. I can tell."
Becca would never abandon Ryan and run away alone. If that was the price, she would rather stay here.
Butcher’s face darkened.
___
[]~(￣▽￣)~*
Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69
