"Hmm?!"
Homelander turned his head toward the sound, only to see the tattooed young man crawling out of the building, his face pale and desperate. The young man looked at Homelander with a mix of hope and anticipation, clearly waiting for his idol to save him.
After being left to his own devices inside the building, the young man had struggled to find help. He'd painstakingly crawled from the rooftop to the top floor, eventually finding an elevator. But even after reaching the ground floor, the distance to the exit felt insurmountable. Using the last of his strength, he made it to the doorway, now completely drained.
Yet seeing Homelander before him reignited the man's hope. Even though he was aware of Homelander's controversial reputation, his blind fan loyalty convinced him that his hero wouldn't abandon him.
What the fan failed to realize was that Homelander didn't share his sentiment.
For Homelander, fans were expendable. He never truly cared for their admiration, even less so now that his popularity thrived on both adoration and controversy. The tattooed man's pleas were nothing more than an annoyance, and more importantly, the man had seen him in a vulnerable state—something Homelander's pride could never tolerate.
Homelander's cold expression didn't waver as he approached the young man. Despite the fan's palpable excitement, Homelander's demeanor radiated disdain.
The young man, however, misinterpreted this as typical Homelander behavior, something his fans had grown accustomed to.
"Homelander! I knew you'd come! Thank God you're here. I don't know what I'd have done without you. Hey, could you sign my shirt after taking me to the hospital? I promise I'll treasure it forever!" The fan's voice was filled with joy, oblivious to the danger he was in.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Homelander's tone remained cold and indifferent. Without any warning, he grabbed the young man by the collar and lifted him effortlessly.
Even though Homelander had suffered injuries from his earlier battle with Black Adam, he still retained enough strength to handle an ordinary human with ease. Handling humans, after all, was what he excelled at.
The young man, however, still failed to grasp the gravity of his situation. He assumed Homelander's rough handling was just his way of helping and thought nothing of it.
"You know, you talk too much for a regular person," Homelander finally said, his voice icy and devoid of emotion.
The young man's heart sank. A wave of terror washed over him, paralyzing him completely. In that moment, memories of Homelander's brutal treatment of others played vividly in his mind. What once seemed like amusing anecdotes of unfortunate souls became horrifying premonitions of his own fate.
"No… this can't be happening," he thought. "He's my hero… he wouldn't… he can't…"
But the cold reality was far harsher than his naive fantasies.
"Ssssh!"
A piercing beam of heat vision shot from Homelander's eyes, striking the young man square in the head. In an instant, he was dead, his thoughts silenced forever.
Homelander let the lifeless body fall to the ground like a discarded piece of trash, his expression as indifferent as ever. To him, the young man was nothing more than a loose end to be tied up.
"Homelander, what's your status?"
The voice of a Vought executive echoed from the building's loudspeakers, interrupting Homelander's moment of quiet triumph.
"The Kryptonian mechanical warriors have all been destroyed," Homelander reported in a detached tone. "That guy got away, and I'm no match for him. However, Superman and the Sentry were sighted. I shared some intel that might provoke a confrontation between them."
If there was one thing Homelander had learned over the years, it was to admit his limitations when it mattered. After countless humiliations at the hands of more powerful individuals, he no longer had any illusions about his abilities.
"Can you track them? We need their exact location. With Superman and the Sentry involved, we can proceed with the next phase of the plan," the voice from the loudspeakers instructed.
Homelander's lips twitched in frustration. "You realize they both have super hearing, right? Mentioning their names like that probably alerted them to your plans."
Homelander had been careful not to speak too much during his earlier encounter, fearing Superman or the Sentry might overhear. Now, thanks to the careless Vought executive, any secrecy their plans once held was likely gone.
The loudspeakers fell silent, a clear indication that Vought had realized their mistake. While they had measures to prevent sensitive information from leaking, their current lapse in judgment was glaring. Still, their preparations were extensive, and they weren't overly concerned about Superman's reaction.
Within Vought's headquarters, a heated debate broke out among the executives.
"We need to adjust our plans. Superman knowing about this could complicate things," one argued.
"What's the point? Superman is difficult to handle regardless. And don't forget, we have another wildcard: that new superpowered individual," another countered. "If we capture and study him, we might find a way to counter Superman more effectively."
"That's a waste of time," a third dismissed. "Even if we analyze his powers, it won't change the fact that Superman isn't easily defeated. Our Doomsday Corps is far more reliable."
The internal divisions within Vought were clear. The conglomerate was a patchwork of competing interests, with each faction vying for control over strategy. This lack of unity made it difficult to reach decisions, even when faced with critical threats like Superman.
Meanwhile, Homelander seized the opportunity to make his case. "Listen, I'm injured and my speed has decreased. There's no way I can catch up to them. Can I return for treatment?"
After a brief pause, the voice from the loudspeakers relented. "Fine. Return to base. We'll deal with this later."
Relieved, Homelander took off, eager to leave the mess behind. Whatever happened next, it would no longer be his responsibility.
Elsewhere, Superman and the Sentry had indeed overheard the exchange, thanks to their enhanced hearing.
"See? I told you," the Sentry said, smirking. "Vought won't stop coming after us. We're bad for their business."
Superman sighed. "True. But what can we do? We can't take them all out. That's not who we are."
Despite their frustrations, Superman's moral compass remained firm. He couldn't justify mass violence, even against a corrupt organization like Vought.
Still, their restraint came with its own costs. By sparing Vought, they allowed the corporation to continue its manipulations, leaving Superman and the Sentry to clean up the mess time and time again.
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