Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Soldier Boy (1) (Bonus Chapter)
"Target neutralized?" Red Two asked over the external speakers.
"Negative," Red One replied. "Stand ready."
Inside the block of ice, a red light began to glow. It started as a faint ember, then grew into a miniature sun.
The ice hissed, steamed and then violently exploded outward in a cloud of superheated vapor.
Homelander stepped out of the steam. His suit was perfectly dry. His eyes were burning with unrestrained heat vision.
"Cold," Homelander chuckled, rolling his neck. "I like cold. But I prefer..."
He unleashed his lasers. Twin beams of crimson destruction tore toward Red Three.
Red Three raised his hands, conjuring a wall of ice ten feet thick in a fraction of a second.
The heat vision slammed into the ice.
The sheer thermal kinetic output of Homelander’s eyes met the absolute zero resistance of Red Three’s Tier 1 Cryokinesis.
The clash created a localized pressure wave that blew the surrounding fires out completely.
Steam shrieked into the sky, creating a blinding fog over the courtyard.
"You can’t hide behind a wall forever!" Homelander yelled, increasing the intensity of his beams, slowly melting through the barricade.
Suddenly, a high pitched sound tore through the sky from above. It sounded like something incredibly heavy falling from a very, very great height.
Homelander cut off his heat vision, looking upward. The red glow in his eyes faded into confusion.
The Red Unit also looked up, taking a synchronized step backward.
CRASH.
The impact struck the exact center of the courtyard, right between Homelander and the Red Unit. The asphalt liquefied.
A crater twenty feet deep and fifty feet wide was instantly excavated from the earth.
A shockwave of dirt, concrete and pulverized rock blasted outward, forcing Homelander to shield his face with his cape.
The dust plumed high into the air, swirling in the thick steam.
Silence descended on the base once more.
Homelander lowered his cape. He narrowed his eyes, trying to peer through the settling dust.
"Another one?" Homelander asked, his voice laced with annoyance. "Did you boys drop a bomb, or did you call a friend?"
"We didn’t call anyone," Red One’s mechanical voice replied from the opposite side of the crater.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the center of the dust cloud. The sound of metal clinking against metal.
A figure slowly walked up the steep incline of the crater.
The dust parted.
He was wearing dark green tactical pants, heavy combat boots and a military issue vest.
A solid brass shield rested effortlessly on his left forearm, a stylized eagle embossed on its surface. His hair was slightly overgrown, his jaw covered in a thick layer of scruff.
He stopped at the lip of the crater. He looked at the Red Unit to his left and then turned his head to look at Homelander to his right.
Homelander’s jaw literally dropped. The arrogant smirk completely evaporated into an expression of pure shock.
Soldier Boy rolled his neck, cracking it loudly. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a silver Zippo lighter and casually lit the half smoked cigar clamped between his teeth.
He took a long drag and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
Homelander floated down until his boots touched the ground. He took a hesitant step forward.
"Father?" Homelander said, the word slipping out before he could stop it.
Soldier Boy took the cigar out of his mouth. He looked Homelander up and down, taking in the pristine blue suit, the golden eagles on his shoulders, the immaculate blonde hair.
He spat on the ground.
"You wear a cape?," Soldier Boy sneered. " What are you, a fairy? You look like a cheap fucking knockoff."
Homelander’s face twitched. The vulnerability vanished into a blinding rage.
"I am the upgrade," Homelander roared, his voice cracking with hysteria.
"Let’s see," Soldier Boy said.
Homelander launched himself forward, breaking the sound barrier over a distance of thirty feet. He threw a right cross aimed directly at Soldier Boy’s jaw, a punch that had decapitated Supes in the past.
Soldier Boy raised his left arm.
CLANG.
Homelander’s fist struck the solid brass shield. The sound was deafening, a catastrophic ringing that shattered the remaining windows in the base.
Homelander’s momentum was stopped dead. The shockwave of the impact blew the dust away completely.
Homelander stared at his fist, pressed against the unyielding metal of the shield. He looked up into Soldier Boy’s eyes. There was no strain on his face.
"My turn," Soldier Boy grunted.
He stepped into the guard, bringing his right fist up in a looping uppercut.
The punch caught Homelander flush under the chin.
Homelander was lifted entirely off his feet, launched backward through the air. He crashed into the side of a concrete guard tower, his body embedding itself deep into the reinforced stone.
"What the hell is that?" Red Two asked over the secure comms, watching the legendary hero casually swat away the strongest being on the planet.
"Target is designated: Soldier Boy," Red One replied, his tone remaining clinical. "Threat level: Maximum. Engage."
Red One charged the lip of the crater. He moved with his Tier 1 Strength, throwing a massive haymaker at the back of Soldier Boy’s head.
Soldier Boy pivoted on his heel, swinging the heavy brass shield in a horizontal backhand.
The edge of the shield collided with Red One’s armored helmet.
Sparks flew. The carbon nanotube plating, designed to stop tank shells, groaned under the kinetic force of the impact. Red One was knocked off his feet, spinning in the air before crashing heavily onto the asphalt.
"Nice suit," Soldier Boy mocked, turning to face the Red Unit. "But armor is for pussies who don’t want to bleed."
Red Three stepped forward, unleashing a torrent of absolute zero ice from both hands, attempting to encase Soldier Boy entirely.
The freezing mist washed over the green tactical suit. Frost accumulated rapidly, turning Soldier Boy white.
Soldier Boy just sighed, a cloud of frozen breath escaping his lips. He flexed his arms.
CRACK.
The ice shattered outward in a million pieces. His Tier 1 Super Defence completely negated the thermal shock.
"Is that the best you got, snowflake?" Soldier Boy sneered.
He closed the distance to Red Three in two massive bounds. He grabbed the armored operative by the throat with his right hand, lifting him single handedly off the ground.
Pop.
Red Two teleported directly above Soldier Boy, dropping down with both armored boots aimed at his shoulders, intent on driving him into the pavement.
Soldier Boy released Red Three, dropping him to the ground and raised his shield above his head.
Red Two’s boots slammed into the brass. The shield didn’t budge an inch. Soldier Boy shoved upward, throwing the teleporting operative ten feet into the air.
