Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Homelander
Vought tactical training facility was situated forty miles outside of the city limits, hidden within a sprawling expanse of forested acreage.
It was a open air compound designed to simulate an urban environment, complete with fake concrete storefronts, abandoned sedans and a towering observation deck.
Homelander stood in the center of a simulated intersection, his hands resting on his hips, his American flag cape billowing majestically in the artificially generated wind from the facility’s massive turbines.
Standing in a attentive row before him were the three newest members of The Seven.
"No, no, no," Homelander said, shaking his head, his voice echoing across the empty mock city. He uncrossed his arms and walked slowly toward Justice. "You’re slouching, Julian. Your shoulders are dipping forward. It makes you look apologetic."
"Apologetic, sir?" Justice asked, his voice maintaining the perfect pitch of a devoted student.
"Exactly," Homelander said, placing his gloved hand on Justice’s shoulder and physically pushing it back. "We do not apologize. Ever. We are the gods looking down at them. Chin up. Chest out. Let the golden eagles catch the sunlight."
Justice immediately adjusted his posture, puffing out his chest, his face adopting a mask of serene nobility. "Like this, Homelander?"
"Better," Homelander purred, a wide smile spreading across his face. He paced down the line, stopping in front of Flash. "And you, Felix. When the cameras are on you, stop shifting your weight. You are a speedster, yes, but stillness is power. If you are constantly vibrating, you look like a squirrel. Are you a squirrel, Felix?"
"No, sir," Flash said, planting his feet firmly, his devastatingly handsome face entirely serious. "I am a member of The Seven."
"Damn right you are," Homelander beamed, clapping him on the back.
He moved to Elias, who stood perfectly still in his matte black and neon blue armor. "Electro. You have the brooding thing down. The public loves that. It gives them a thrill to think you might zap someone. But remember, the smile is the leash. You show them the danger and then you smile to let them know the danger is on their side."
Electro offered a perfectly calibrated smile. "Understood, sir. The danger is on their side."
Homelander threw his arms wide, turning his back to them and walking toward the center of the intersection.
He was practically vibrating with narcissistic joy. The previous team had been a nightmare of egos, addictions and complaints. But these three? They were a blank canvas. They hung on his every word. They worshipped him.
"You see, boys, this is what Stan Edgar will never understand," Homelander announced, gesturing to the sky. "He thinks we are products in a catalog. But a product doesn’t make a hundred thousand people weep in a plaza."
He turned back to face them, his eyes manic.
"We are symbols," Homelander whispered, his voice carrying perfectly on the wind. "And to be a symbol, you have to cut away the doubt. When you look at the crowd, you must remember that they need us to be perfect. They need me."
"We understand completely, Homelander," Justice said, taking a synchronized step forward alongside Flash and Electro. "You are the absolute pinnacle."
"I am," Homelander agreed, his chest heaving slightly with the sheer pleasure of the validation. "Now, let’s see how you handle yourselves in a combat scenario. I want to see the raw output. Show me how you clear a room."
"Actually, sir," Justice said, his tone shifting imperceptibly. The forced reverence was replaced by a flat calm. "We were hoping for a more... hands on demonstration."
Homelander frowned, his perfect smile faltering. He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "A hands on demonstration? What are you talking about, Julian?"
"We want to see if the god can bleed," Electro said.
Homelander stared at the three men. The eager to please expressions had melted off their faces like cheap wax. Their eyes were completely devoid of fear.
A hot sensation of profound insult crawled up Homelander’s neck.
"Is this a joke?" Homelander asked, his voice dropping to a rumbling whisper. The red light began to pool behind his irises, casting a crimson glow on his cheekbones. "Because if this is a joke, Julian, it’s a very bad one."
Justice raised his hand.
Telekinesis (Tier 1).
A wave of crushing force, capable of lifting a thousand tons, slammed into Homelander’s chest.
The impact sounded like a bomb detonating in a vacuum.
Homelander’s feet left the asphalt. He was launched backward with catastrophic velocity, crashing through the brick facade of a simulated bank building, shattering three concrete walls before his body embedded itself deep into the steel support beams of the structure.
Dust and pulverized brick rained down on the training course.
"What the fuck?!" Homelander screamed from the rubble.
He exploded out of the debris, floating ten feet in the air, his eyes blazing like miniature suns.
He was covered in white dust, his pristine suit torn at the shoulder. He looked down at the three men, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. The sheer kinetic force of the blow had actually bruised his ribs.
"You..." Homelander shrieked, his voice cracking with pure rage. "You insignificant little worms! I will burn you to ash!"
He unleashed his heat vision. Twin beams of blinding hot crimson tore through the air, aimed directly at Justice’s chest.
Flash vanished.
Super Speed (Tier 1).
At Mach 30, the world was a frozen painting. Flash stepped into the path of the beams, wrapping his arms around Justice’s waist and moved them both fifty yards to the left in a fraction of a millisecond.
The heat vision struck the empty asphalt, instantly liquefying the road into a bubbling pool of molten tar and rock.
Homelander tracked the beams, dragging the lasers across the street, tearing a glowing trench through the mock city.
But Flash was already behind him.
Flash leaped into the air, launching off the hood of an abandoned sedan and delivered a high velocity dropkick directly into the back of Homelander’s neck.
The impact broke the sound barrier. The thunderclap echoed across the forested valley.
Homelander was knocked completely out of the sky. He crashed face first into the asphalt, leaving a crater shaped like his own body.
Before Homelander could push himself up, Justice was there.
Super Speed (Tier 1).
Super Strength (Tier 1).
Justice dropped his knee squarely onto the small of Homelander’s back, pinning him to the cratered ground. Homelander roared, bucking wildly, his Super Strength flaring as he tried to throw the weight off.
"Get off me!" Homelander shrieked, reaching back blindly, his gloved fingers clawing at Justice’s armored suit.
Justice caught Homelander’s right wrist. His grip was an iron vice. The bones in Homelander’s wrist creaked under the immense pressure.
"Let go!" Homelander screamed, genuine panic threading through his rage for the first time in his life. He had never met anyone who could physically hold him down.
Flash materialized on Homelander’s left side. He slammed his boot onto Homelander’s left shoulder, pinning the joint to the asphalt and gripped Homelander’s left wrist with both hands.
"He’s strong," Flash commented casually, leaning his weight back to hyperextend Homelander’s left arm.
"You... you’re not..." Homelander gasped, his face pressed into the dirt and broken asphalt. His red eyes flared, trying to angle his heat vision upward to blast Justice’s face, but Justice easily leaned his head back out of the firing line, pulling Homelander’s right arm higher, threatening to dislocate the shoulder.
Electro walked slowly toward the crater. His boots crunched softly on the broken asphalt.
Homelander thrashed, his legs kicking wildly, shattering the ground beneath him.
"Edgar!" Homelander screamed, spitting blood and dirt from his mouth. "Edgar sent you!"
"Wrong," Electro said, stopping right in front of Homelander’s face.
Electro knelt down. He reached out and placed his hands firmly on either side of Homelander’s head, his thumbs pressing against the temples.
"What are you doing?!" Homelander screamed, thrashing his head side to side, but Justice and Flash held him completely immobilized.
Disempowerment (Tier 1).
Electro forced the highly concentrated energy directly through his palms and into Homelander’s biological structure.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Homelander’s eyes went wide. The glowing red heat behind his irises flickered and died.
A pale green illumination pulsed through the veins in Homelander’s neck and face. He let out a horrifying gasp as the radiation flooded his circulatory system, hunting down the very essence of his power.
The Compound V, the miraculous chemical that had rewritten his DNA in the womb, began to boil. It vaporized inside his bloodstream, sizzling and evaporating under the overwhelming radioactive suppression.
"No... no... please..." Homelander whimpered. His voice had lost its thunderous resonance.
The unyielding density of his muscles began to slacken. The impossible hard structure of his bones felt suddenly brittle. The invincible god was draining away, leaving behind a terrified man lying in the dirt.
"I feel... weak," Homelander whispered, tears streaming from his blue eyes. He looked at Electro, his face a mask of absolute terror. "I can’t... I can’t feel it anymore."
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