Free Web NovelChapter 10: 10: Meeting The Seven
The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.
~ H.P. Lovecraft
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Conference room.
The two of them walked in one after the other, about thirty seconds apart, making it look like they had arrived separately.
The rest of The Seven were already seated.
The Deep spotted Hillel and immediately slapped on a big smile. "Hey! The Guardian! I saw your video online, that slap was really..."
He shot a quick glance at A-Train from the corner of his eye and choked down the rest of the sentence. ƒrēewebnovel.com
"...really spectacular."
A-Train sat tucked away in the corner. Speedsters healed fast, so there were almost no visible marks left on his face.
But the way he unconsciously shrank in his seat made it obvious he had a guilty conscience. When Hillel walked in, his shoulders twitched hard.
Pure reflex.
Queen Maeve sat by the window, nursing a mug. Hillel’s super smell picked up that it was straight whiskey.
Drinking whiskey at three in the afternoon. The Queen’s mental state was clearly fucked.
Homelander entered last and took the head seat at the table.
The second he sat down, everyone else’s breathing got quieter at the same time.
Black Noir noticed the damage to Homelander’s uniform but stayed zoned out, quietly signaling the Donald Duck toy on the table to keep its mouth shut.
Queen Maeve and the other supes weren’t stupid. They could still feel the leftover vibrations from outside.
Those two had clearly thrown down for a bit, and the fact that Hillel walked in alive proved the rumors were true.
Next, Madelyn joined the meeting through a video call and gave a quick rundown of Hillel’s identity and role.
Special Consultant for Supe Threats.
Independent of The Seven.
Tasked with sanctioning high-level supe crimes.
To put it bluntly, he was a hunting dog kept right next to The Seven. Nominally a guard dog, but everyone knew this one could bite back hard.
The actual meeting was nothing special.
Commercial schedules, brand endorsements, and a few scripted crime-sanctioning jobs that needed to get done.
Hillel sat quietly the whole time, listening and watching everyone’s reactions.
The Deep had the lowest status and looked anxious, sucking up to everyone, while A-Train sat there all suppressed.
He knew he’d caused a massive fuckup this time. His secret was out and it had even reached the big boss.
Queen Maeve was the most checked out, wearing an expression like she didn’t give a shit what happened.
Translucent, that bastard, was acting all smug like nobody could see him.
As for Homelander, he put on a perfect show the whole time: friendly, funny, and in charge.
But his fists, hidden under his gloves, hadn’t unclenched once since he walked in.
Forty minutes later the meeting ended. Everyone filed out one by one.
Hillel got up and headed for the door. As he passed Maeve, her steps slowed for a second.
"How’d your fight go? Looks like not only are you not dead, you’re not even hurt."
She didn’t look at him, her tone casual like she was talking to the air.
"A draw, I guess. I can’t do much to him, and he can’t do much to me."
Queen Maeve took a sip from her mug. "Then you better watch your back. Homelander isn’t someone you mess with lightly. Don’t go stirring up trouble."
With that, she walked off. Was this woman actually giving him a genuine warning?
[Key Character: Queen Maeve]
[Emotional Change: Indifferent → Slightly Favorable]
[Ability Points Gained: +876]
At the same time. 72nd floor, Madelyn’s office. The door got kicked open.
Homelander stormed in, face like a thunderstorm, completely dropping his fake smile.
He slammed his fist down on Madelyn’s desk, splitting the solid wood top right down the middle. The coffee cup tipped over and spilled some milky white liquid.
Homelander glanced at it without thinking, then looked away.
"You made another one!"
Madelyn stayed seated, unmoved. She’d been expecting this.
"He’s not our..."
"Shut the fuck up!" Homelander leaned in, hands planted on the broken desk, his face right in hers.
"Invulnerable, super strength, can fly, and my heat vision can’t even burn through him... You’re telling me you didn’t make him?"
"He’s really not in the Compound V database. I already told you that."
"Then where the hell did he come from!"
"We’re still investigating."
"Investigating?" Homelander laughed like he’d heard the funniest joke ever. "You know what that bastard did to me in the hallway?"
Madelyn’s eyes flickered.
"He punched me! One fucking punch..."
Homelander slowly straightened up and pulled back his cape, showing the bruise and the still-bleeding wound on his chest.
Madelyn’s pupils shrank sharply.
Since she had known Homelander, she had never seen him injured. Never!
"One punch!" Homelander held up a finger and waved it in front of Madelyn. "Just one fucking punch!"
The office went dead silent. Madelyn was terrified.
She was scared Homelander would lose control and go on a rampage, and even more scared of how strong Hillel actually was.
This guy wasn’t just talking shit. He could really go toe-to-toe with Homelander.
"So tell me now..." Homelander pulled his finger back, his smile completely gone.
"What the hell is he?"
"Is he a tool you made to keep me in check?"
"Or... a better replacement for me?"
When Homelander spat out that last part, a red glow flared in his eyes. Heat vision was locked and loaded.
Madelyn didn’t flinch. She forced down her fear, walked around the shattered desk, and stood right in front of him.
She reached up and pressed her hand against his chest, gently stroking the bruised area like a mother tending to her child.
"Listen to me."
Homelander’s eyes dimmed. His breathing got heavy.
Madelyn didn’t dare look him in the eyes. If she had, she would’ve seen the wet glint there. He looked exactly like a scared little kid afraid his mom was about to abandon him.
"You are not a replacement. No one can replace your place in The Seven!"
"You are Homelander. You are the greatest hero in this country."
"The Guardian is nothing. You are the god living in every American’s heart!"
Seeing Homelander’s mood start to settle, Madelyn let out a small breath of relief and kept working on him.
"Edgar only let him join to clean up the PR mess from the A-Train thing. He’s just a pawn. Once he’s used up, we’ll throw him away!"
Homelander stared at her, looking hurt. "But he fucking hurt me!"
"That’s only temporary!" Madelyn smoothed out his cape with her fingers. "Once we figure out where he came from and what his weaknesses are, everything goes back to normal!"
"You are still the strongest. Always!"
Homelander let out a long breath, slowly seeming convinced.
"You need to move fast and find out everything."
"If this guy really wasn’t made by you, then he might be some anti-Vought plant!"
"If you ask me, Edgar’s being too reckless. How could he put someone like that right next to The Seven..."
Madelyn’s expression changed. She quickly reached up and covered Homelander’s mouth.
At such close range, Homelander could smell Madelyn’s scent. That warm, motherly fragrance. It was fucking intoxicating.
If he could, Homelander would drown in her gentle embrace forever.
"Alright, it’s not good if people hear." Madelyn patted his back.
Homelander stood up reluctantly. "So what do I do? Just let him walk all over The Seven?"
"It won’t come to that. We won’t let him interfere too much. The Guardian can’t be trusted."
"In the meantime, keep a close eye on him and report back to me anytime."
Homelander straightened up like he’d been given a sacred mission. "No problem. With me around, he won’t make any real waves."
The door closed. Madelyn stayed standing there, her heart racing.
Before, just dealing with one Homelander was already a massive headache. Now there were two. Two!
She picked up the phone. "Mr. Edgar... we have a situation."
"The Guardian’s strength is way beyond what we estimated."
"Homelander’s heat vision had no effect on him. In close combat, The Guardian actually left visible injuries on Homelander."
There was a long silence on the other end.
"Continue observing," Edgar said, voice completely flat. "Since we’ve confirmed his power level, take a soft approach. Do not escalate the conflict."
"Sir, Homelander already..."
"I said, do not escalate the conflict."
"Let them keep the status quo. Two beasts watching each other is much safer than one beast ruling alone."
The call ended. Madelyn stood there holding the receiver, at a loss for words.
What gave them the right to try balancing two beasts like this?
Not to mention, The Guardian wasn’t like Homelander. He wasn’t some man-child fucked-in-the-head supe they could easily control.
