Free Web NovelChapter 42: 42: Who else could it be? Me?
Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee
And I’ll forgive Thy great big one on me.
~ Robert Frost
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Nine o’clock at night.
Midtown Apartment.
Starlight had just stepped out of the shower, hair still wet. She was wearing one of Hillel’s black T-shirts. The hem barely covered the top of her thighs.
"Want to wash up? I learned some new moves."
"Oh? Now you’ve got my attention, woman!"
Hillel tossed the remote aside, floated up from the couch, and drifted straight toward her.
He had been trying to quit walking lately.
Starlight took a step back until her back hit the hallway wall.
"What are you doing? My hair isn’t even dry yet!"
"No need to dry it."
Hillel planted one hand on the wall above her head while the other grabbed her chin and tilted it up.
Starlight’s breathing picked up fast.
"You’re always like this. No foreplay, no buildup at all!"
"You don’t like it?"
"...Ahem. Actually it’s not bad."
Hillel leaned in.
Knock, knock-knock!
"Fine. Whatever new positions you’ve learned, we can take it up to the clouds next time. Nobody will bother us there."
Hillel went to open the door. He had already recognized the knocking pattern.
"Who is it?" Starlight whispered.
Hillel’s face looked weird.
"Homelander."
Starlight’s expression changed instantly. Nobody at Vought knew the two of them were living together.
If Ashley or Edgar found out they would get a serious warning.
If Hillel knew what she was thinking he would probably roll his eyes. frёewebηovel.cѳm
He could fuck whoever the hell he wanted now and nobody could stop him. Why? The Guardian said so!!
"Go wait in the bedroom. We might need to talk."
Starlight didn’t argue. She ran barefoot into the bedroom and closed the door quietly.
Outside, Homelander was still in full suit.
Ever since Hillel joined Vought he had never seen the guy in normal clothes.
This time though he was carrying a bottle of wine. 2008 Dom Pérignon.
"Hey, bro!" Homelander smiled, but it looked forced.
It was his first time showing up at a friend’s place like this. Especially after using his X-ray vision and catching the two of them right before they started.
But right now he needed comfort more than anything.
"I didn’t call ahead. Hope you don’t mind."
Hillel glanced at the champagne bottle.
He had to admit the whole situation looked fucking weird no matter how you sliced it.
"Come on in."
Homelander set the champagne down and spoke seriously.
"I wanted to make this visit a bit more formal since it’s my first time at your place."
"Skip the formal shit between us. You look like you’re in a bad mood. Want a drink?"
Hillel picked up the champagne bottle.
Homelander didn’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. Compared to other supes he was basically a saint.
But he wasn’t in the mood for milk right now.
"Sure."
Hillel floated to the kitchen, grabbed two glasses, then stood shoulder to shoulder with Homelander by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the view.
"You’re right. I can’t go against Edgar. But it’s not because I’m a coward. I still need him for now."
As Homelander spoke the corners of his mouth kept twitching. He looked like a kid who just got yelled at by his dad and could only whine to his buddy.
"Uh, as long as you’re happy."
Hillel took a sip and frowned.
He was a brute who couldn’t appreciate the good stuff. freeweɓnøvel.com
This shit didn’t even taste good!
"I took the guy who did my weekly psych sessions... uh, you might not know him, his name was Dr. Vo... Vogel... and I welded him to his chair."
Homelander casually dropped the murder like it was nothing.
Just last week he had killed a mayor who claimed to know about Compound V and tried to blackmail Ashley into dropping the price of supes supplied to his city to two hundred million a year.
To keep the truth about Compound V buried, he had shot down the plane carrying the mayor and his grandkids.
No one in The Seven could swim anymore, so nobody could recover the evidence from the ocean.
"It wasn’t just that psychologist lying to you." Hillel thought about what secret he could drop next.
"I hate people who play games with me. They’ll all pay one by one."
Homelander’s fingers tightened and fine cracks spread across the glass.
"But you’re different."
He suddenly looked at Hillel.
"You’re the first person who told me the truth. You, my brother, pulled me out of the mud!"
Hillel held his wine glass. If Homelander knew he was actually the biggest liar of them all, the kid would probably lose his mind right here.
The panel popped up.
[Key Character: Homelander — Current Emotions: Grateful, Trusting, Desiring Recognition, Slightly Dependent]
[Ability Points Gained: +678]
"You didn’t just come here to talk about psych problems, did you?" Hillel asked suddenly.
Homelander’s emotions hadn’t shifted much, which meant he hadn’t taken it too seriously.
He had another reason for showing up.
"Sometimes I think you’ve got telepathy too." Homelander squeezed Hillel’s left shoulder. "You know about that bill Vought has been pushing lately? The one the President shot down three times. The one Ashley can’t get through."
Hillel raised an eyebrow. He actually knew exactly which bill Homelander was talking about.
"The Supe Enlistment Bill?"
In the original series this bill was Vought’s first big move to get into the military, and it definitely didn’t go smoothly at the start.
Especially after the recent supe incident in the Middle East, the President was already suspicious that Vought was pulling strings behind the scenes, trying to use it as an excuse to control America.
Congress hadn’t passed it either. The military brass had their own entrenched interests and weren’t about to let Vought get a piece of that pie.
Supe soldiers. That was a massive fucking market.
Homelander’s voice dripped with disdain. "Those congressmen are just a bunch of cowards. They’re scared we’ll take their cake."
Hillel suddenly realized Homelander was treating him like his personal strategist.
"So you want the bill to pass smoothly so you can prove yourself?"
"Exactly!"
Homelander smiled. That was exactly why he had come looking for Hillel.
"About this... got any ideas?—" Creak..
Hillel and Homelander both turned around at the same time. The bedroom door was cracked open. Starlight was eavesdropping.
"Don’t worry about her. She’s on our side."
Hillel didn’t give a shit.
Homelander nodded. Starlight living with The Guardian was basically leverage.
Even if he spilled his plan here, she wouldn’t dare leak it.
"If... let’s say a bunch of major supe threats suddenly popped up all over the world. So many that even the regular military couldn’t handle them. Do you think Congress would still say no?"
Homelander laid out his crazy plan.
"Hmm, not bad." Hillel nodded in approval.
Homelander wasn’t stupid. He was just mentally unstable as hell.
"It’s just I can’t find the right guy for the job. Who do you think would be perfect for this?" Homelander looked at Hillel, waiting for his answer.
Hillel smiled slightly.
He finally got it. Homelander wanted him to do the dirty work!
One second they were buddies, the next he was throwing him under the bus. As long as The Guardian actually did it, Homelander would have leverage and wouldn’t have to worry about him stepping out of line.
Nice. Real nice.
"That’s simple. Who do you think can run all over the world in no time, inject Compound V into terrorists, and leave zero evidence?"
Hillel asked with a smile.
Homelander pulled his lips back into a grin, teeth flashing white.
"Yeah, who could it be?"
"Of course it’s A-Train. Who else could it be? Me?"
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