Chapter 44.
"Is what you said true? Do you really know where my wife is? Is she still alive?" Billy's calm demeanor shattered as he asked Thunder three rapid questions. His voice was filled with disbelief and desperation. If anything in this world could make Billy lose his composure, it was news about his wife.
"No... Impossible! Very few people know about my wife's situation. How could you possibly know anything about her? You must be lying to me! You're trying to deceive me into helping you, aren't you?" Billy's expression twisted with a mix of madness and hope. He wanted to believe it, but he couldn't bring himself to trust Thunder.
The thought of his wife possibly still being alive sent his emotions into turmoil. But what if this was just a cruel trick? What if Thunder was using this information to manipulate him into doing something for him, only to leave him with nothing afterward? Billy was terrified of the possibility that the greater his hope, the greater his eventual disappointment would be.
"You can choose not to believe me," Thunder responded calmly, "but then you may never see your wife again."
Thunder paused for effect before continuing. "Or you can choose to help me with this small request, and as long as you get Compound V for me, I will take you to your wife. I'll do what I say."
Thunder's voice was nonchalant, almost too casual. He wasn't in a rush, confident that Billy would eventually agree. After all, Billy's wife was his weakness—so important that Billy had been willing to risk everything to fight against the Vought Group and Homelander just to find her–.
"...Fine, you win. I'll agree to your terms!" Billy finally gave in after a long pause, his voice resigned. He couldn't pass up the chance to see his wife again, no matter the cost.
Thunder, seeing Billy's surrender, couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. "Brother, you have no idea what you're getting into." He briefly mourned for Billy's misguided hope, though he quickly reminded himself that Billy's eventual reunion with his wife might still be a bittersweet moment of redemption.
...
"What about you two? Do you still refuse to help me?" Thunder asked, turning his attention to Hughie and Frenchie. The two silver orbs in his hands still emitted a faint glow, making a slight "squeaking" sound as they spun.
"Goddamn it, Billy! You've dragged us into this again!" Hughie groaned as he and Frenchie exchanged resigned looks. They had hoped Billy would stay firm, but once again, Billy had made a decision without consulting them.
The two of them had been ready to stand by Billy, no matter how reckless the situation seemed. But they hadn't anticipated Billy agreeing so quickly, much to their dismay. Now they found themselves in a dilemma—either agree to Thunder's request or face his wrath.
If they agreed, they would lose face, but at least they would stay alive. If they refused... well, there was no question of how that would end.
"We also agree!" Hughie and Frenchie said in unison, their voices filled with reluctant acceptance.
"Well, this is what you said. I didn't threaten you," Thunder said with a smile, and to their relief, the silver orbs in his hands disappeared without a trace.
Hughie and Frenchie let out a collective sigh of relief, their anxiety finally easing. They had been afraid that Thunder would throw the energy at them, just like he had done to others. After all, they had seen the fate of Translucent with their own eyes and didn't want to experience that firsthand.
But as they thought about it, they couldn't help but wonder—wasn't it a threat when he pointed that silver energy at them? Of course, none of them dared to voice these thoughts in front of Thunder; they could only think them in their heads.
"Well, now that our second agreement is settled, I'll take my leave. See you next time!" Thunder said, casually waving them off as if parting from old friends. Then he bent his legs and gave a powerful jump.
"Don't—"
Boom!
"My house!" Frenchie cried out in horror, clutching his chest in exaggerated pain. He feared he might die from a heart attack right there and then. He had rented this warehouse with the last of his savings, and now the roof had been blown apart. Billy still owed him 40,000, but that money was nowhere to be found. Hughie was broke, too, and the black guy was even worse off—his money was all controlled by his wife, and he couldn't even ask for a dime.
Frenchie had been the only one funding their efforts against the superheroes. Now, looking up at the hole in the roof and the rubble falling down, Frenchie felt a sharp pain in his heart.
"Don't be so stingy," Hughie said, trying to lighten the mood. "Now that we're free from our agreement with him, we can go find some funds for our next steps. No need to spend our own money anymore!"
The group could only sigh in frustration and uncertainty. They had no choice but to deal with the consequences of their actions, all while trying to keep their heads above Vought.
Billy patted Frank's shoulder, offering him some comfort despite the tension. He was already thinking ahead, planning to use the evidence from this investigation to request funding from an old friend at the FBI. It would be even better if the evidence allowed them to directly intervene in the investigation of Vought Corporation. However, Billy knew that without a sample of Compound V, they didn't have enough to take serious action against the company.
...
Thunder, having shattered their roof and flown into the sky, was just about to return home using his superpowers when he suddenly received an urgent alert from David.
"Sir, a powerful burst of energy has been detected from Ms. Anne. It seems there is an abnormal situation. Would you like to check it out?"
"Show me her location... No, just bring up high-definition satellite images of her surroundings!" Thunder quickly ordered.
"Sir, the satellite images have been transferred. Please check them."
Within less than ten seconds, Thunder saw the image projected onto his wristwatch, almost identical to a real-life view with minimal distortion. The image showed a house, along with surrounding buildings and streets, all captured with sharp detail.
After analyzing the image, Thunder's thoughts shifted, and in an instant, he disappeared into the air, heading towards the location.
...
Thunder reappeared atop a roof, his keen eyes immediately noticing a blinding white light flashing through the windows of a nearby room. It was obvious that Starlight was using her powers.
Using his perspective vision, Thunder looked inside and saw two familiar figures engaged in a battle. One was Starlight, who was releasing intense white light from her hands, while the other figure moved rapidly around the room, dodging the attacks and trying to find an opening to strike back.
On the floor, a middle-aged woman lay unconscious, her life uncertain.
Once Thunder assessed the situation, he wasted no time. He found the perfect opportunity, and at incredible speed, he rushed toward the figure darting around the room.
"Damn, have I developed some weird habit of jumping through roofs?" Thunder thought to himself, but quickly pushed aside any distractions as he focused on the task at hand.
At the same time, his right hand morphed into a claw, ready to strike. Though the figure was moving at an impressive speed, faster than the eye could follow, Thunder's mental perception allowed him to track the movement without issue. To him, the figure's speed seemed no faster than an average person's.
With swift precision, Thunder grabbed the figure by the neck, almost as if the person had willingly offered themselves up for capture. Of course, the truth was that the figure had no time to avoid it—Thunder's speed outmatched his own by far.
Without hesitation, Thunder lifted the entire body with one hand and slammed it hard into the wall behind him.
Boom!
There was a loud crash as the man was slammed into the wall, the impact creating a deep human-shaped dent in the white plaster. Thunder, holding the man, released a stream of silver electricity that flowed down his arm. He controlled it precisely, only paralyzing the man without killing him outright.
"Annie, what's going on?" Thunder turned and asked Starlight, who hadn't stopped using her superpowers behind him.
"Thunder? It's you!" Annie's voice revealed a hint of surprise. Everything had happened so quickly. In the blink of an eye, the attacker who had been targeting her was effortlessly subdued by someone. The figure was vaguely familiar, but since Thunder wasn't wearing the uniform made by the Vought Company, Starlight hadn't recognized him immediately. But when Thunder turned around, she knew it was him.
"Not good, my mom!" Suddenly, Starlight seemed to realize something, and she stopped using her powers. The blinding light from her eyes and palms disappeared, and she rushed to the middle-aged woman lying on the floor.
"Mom, how are you? I don't blame you anymore, don't leave me, please!..." Starlight sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
But Thunder, standing at a distance from the woman on the floor, could sense that she had already lost her breath. Her heart had stopped beating. Thunder could feel that her bones had been shattered, her ribs crushed inward, and many of her internal organs had been severely damaged.
She must have been inside the house just moments ago—how could she have been hit by a large vehicle? The only one who could cause such injuries was the person Thunder had just apprehended.
Thinking of this, Thunder's right hand surged with more electricity. The person he held—"A-Train"—trembled violently under the shock. His face contorted in agony, but he couldn't scream because of the grip on his neck.
"What's going on? Why are you here? Did you kill Starlight's mother?" Thunder asked, his voice dark and threatening.
"Ugh... I... I overheard your conversation with Starlight..." The A-Train gasped between pained breaths. "Then I came here with her..."
He was too terrified to hide anything, fearing that Thunder might shock him again.
"What's your purpose with Starlight? Be honest, or I'll make you wish you never spoke!" Thunder's tone was menacing as he tightened his grip, making it clear that he wouldn't tolerate lies.
"No, no... I'm telling the truth! I followed Starlight to find you..." the locomotive stammered, visibly scared.
Under Thunder's relentless questioning, the A-Train quickly broke and confessed everything he knew. It turned out that the locomotive had once worked for the Vought Company, transporting Compound V to various hospitals, where it was distributed to babies. Later, under the threats and promises from Homelander, he had secretly begun working for him, providing Temp. Compound V to Homelander, who would reward him in return.
The A-Train needed Temp. Compound No. 5 to maintain his speed because his body was deteriorating. Without the drug, he had struggled to keep up with his competitors, like Shockwave. To maintain his identity as the world's fastest man, he had no choice but to keep supplying Homelander with the compound.
Homelander, however, had much bigger plans. He wasn't using the compound for himself but was instead secretly creating an army of super-powered individuals by injecting orphans from around the world with Compound V. The success rate of the compound was low, but enough children succeeded to create a powerful army.
The ultimate goal of Homelander was of world domination, and everything was to start with the superheroes embedded in the Ministry of Defense. According to their plan, the Ministry of Defense would be targeted by terrorists with superpowers, and in the chaos, the president would be vulnerable. The superheroes would then intervene and, with some inside help, would eliminate the president, leaving the country in chaos.
Of course, this plan had fallen apart after Thunder killed Homelander. However, the remaining superheroes still wanted to take revenge on Thunder for the death of their protector.
...
When the A-Train heard Starlight and Thunder talking, he saw an opportunity. He thought Starlight had left the Vought Company and was meeting Thunder secretly. He didn't expect Starlight to return home to check on her mother and ask about her baby plans.
In his anger, the A-Train rushed at Starlight, intending to take her down and threaten her for information about Thunder's whereabouts. But Starlight, engaged in conversation with her mother, didn't notice the A-Train approaching. Her –mother, however, did, and in her panic, she instinctively pushed Starlight away to protect her.
Unfortunately, her mother was hit by A-Train and sent flying, as ordinary humans couldn't withstand such a violent impact.
Starlight, narrowly avoiding the collision, watched in horror as her mother fell to the ground. Filled with grief and rage, she fought back against the locomotive with all her strength.
This was the scene Thunder saw when he arrived.
...…
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