"I really shouldn't have done that," Erasmus thought as he held the broken corpse and threw it on the bed. But he was just so hungry. Eight plates of steak hadn't helped.
It had been too long since he'd actually fed, and A-Train just kept getting closer and closer into his space. He should have just kicked him out of the room. He shouldn't have kicked Stormfront out.
And now, A-Train's vitals had most likely gone off in monitoring.
Grabbing the corpse, Erasmus located the tracking chip instantly, ripping it straight out of the wrist. He walked out to the balcony and threw the device, sending it flying far away through the night air. Since he'd already done it, he might as well feed, lest his hunger spike again later.
Grabbing the nape of the corpse, Erasmus placed his mouth on the sweaty neck. Soon, his mouth started growing hotter and hotter.
Gulp.
Gulp.
Gulp.
Gulp.
"OHHHH," Erasmus moaned as the familiar taste rushed through his mouth. The feeling of his hunger that had hunted him since the last time he fed on Splinter was finally sated.
"What a mess," Erasmus thought as he threw the hollowed-out husk away.
Stormfront knew he was the last person A-Train saw. Most of the employees had probably seen him come up to this floor. The cameras, and who knew who else. What a mess.
Okay, let's see. Obviously A-Train was the second mole working with Starlight, but who cared about that right now?
What people would actually care about was the body.
Where did a man who was perfectly healthy not even five minutes ago suddenly drop his heart, his bone marrow, and all his blood?
Obviously this was Leviathan's handiwork. His half-brother. But he was dead, so unless he rose from his watery grave, this shouldn't be possible...
But the thing was... Aldrich could rise from the grave.
Splitting himself apart, the recently mourned Aldrich appeared right next to him, making Erasmus dizzy.
Aldrich looked down at his hands. He was alive? Again?
His eyes wandered slowly over his surroundings, taking in the dark room before settling on Erasmus. Then, his gaze dropped to the floor. The hollowed-out remains of A-Train.
Oh, not again.
"You won't even let me die in peace," Aldrich said with hatred, staring at the one who woke him from his rest.
"Sleep?" Erasmus asked. "Stop being so dramatic, you idiot. I'm alive, meaning you never died. Now stop whining and do your part."
"I already did my part. Get Cerberus to do it," Aldrich retorted, his knuckles turning white.
"You're done when I say you're done."
"How long do you think it will take before your hand is exposed if you keep killing me and bringing me back whenever you make a mess?" Aldrich asked as he closed in on Erasmus's space. "What have you done all this time? Nothing. I brought us here, and you've done nothing to finish our life cycle."
"I have a plan," Erasmus said smoothly.
"You have nothing. You're messy and you're slow. If we stick to your plan, we would die of old age before it bears fruit," Aldrich retorted, his voice rising. "Put me back. You obviously don't know what you're doing. Hell, even put Cerberus in instead."
"Are you done venting?" Erasmus asked after Aldrich finished his rant.
Aldrich took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm done. How do you want to do this?"
"I'm not sure," Erasmus said. "Obviously, the big bad Leviathan attacked me and ate A-Train right in front of me, that's for sure. Then what?" Erasmus said as he placed a hand on his chin, thinking. Aldrich did the same, both of them deep in thought.
Suddenly, Erasmus looked at Aldrich. Aldrich met his eyes for a couple of seconds. "No. No, no, I'm not doing that," Aldrich refused, backing away. "I want to die. Just let me die."
"You're right," Erasmus admitted. "That will just make things even more messy. And the problem is, if Father sees you die all over again, I doubt his mind could take it."
"Stop saying that," Aldrich corrected. "He isn't our father. Oh Erasmus you play too much"
"Fine," Erasmus said, gesturing toward A-Train's hollowed-out remains. "Just take him and fly away. Your speed should allow you to leave without anyone noticing, there are no cameras out on the balcony anyway. And after you're done?"
He looked back at Aldrich with a calm, flat stare.
"Quite literally kill yourself."
Meanwhile down in the Vought Monitoring Room, the air was thick with the scent of coffee. Dozens of glowing screens lined the walls, tracking the internal vitals of the Seven. except for vanguard.
Palmer on the night shift leaned back in his chair, tossing a handful of peanuts into his mouth while his coworker scrolled through his phone.
"I'm telling you, it's official," Jason said, nodding toward the main status board. "Ashley already put in the ticket. We're just waiting on the tech nerds to come down and archive his data before they completely wipe his profile from the mainframe."
"Seriously? A-Train is actually done this time?" Palmer asked, not looking up from his screen. "No rehab campaign?"
"Pfft. Please. You see how Homelander looks at him lately?. Word is they're already scouting a replacement from Godolkin University. Some freshman who can run on water or some shit."
"Bullshit. Mason told me he saw shockwave today" Palmer chuckled, finally looking up to grab his coffee mug. His eyes casually drifted across the peripheral monitors, skimming over the standard green vitals of the Seven. "Hey... look at the biometric feed."
Jason didn't look up. "What about it?"
On the dashboard, A-Train's health vitals, which had been fluctuating normally just a minute ago, had gone completely haywire. The heart rate monitor registered a violent, impossible spike of three hundred beats per minute for a fraction of a second, immediately followed by a massive drop in blood oxygen levels.
And then, a flat, continuous crimson line stretched across the UI.
Palmer instantly reached for his radio, his fingers trembling as he dialed the secure channel. "This is Palmer from Monitoring, we have a code"
BANG.
The radio slipped from Palmer's hand, clattering to the floor along with his lifeless body.
Jason, who had been laughing and joking just seconds prior, stood over him. His weapon was drawn, his eyes completely unfocused, the pupils dilated into hollow, glassy circles as if his mind had been entirely hollowed out.
He didn't even look at his friend body. He just pivoted on his heel, aiming the barrel at the glowing mainframe.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
Jason didn't stop pulling the trigger. He systematically targeted the room's vital equipment, sending bullets tearing through the delicate servers and primary motherboards.
Heavy monitors shattered into showers of blinding sparks. Ruptured lines sprayed pressurized water, while shattered mugs sent scalding coffee splashing over the short-circuiting consoles, drowning the synthetic alarms in the rising steam.
Finally, the frantic gunfire ceased. In the heavy, smoking silence, Jason raised the shaking weapon with a slow, mechanical jerk, jamming the hot barrel directly into his own mouth.
BANG.
In the middle of the carnage stood Erasmus in his astral form. Completely unseen, he looked around the ruined room, taking in the quiet wreckage before his gaze shifted directly to the security cameras.
It felt good to stare straight into the lenses, knowing they were completely blind to his presence. A relaxed smile touched his face as he stood over the ruined room.
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Hey everyone! The author here.
I wanted to let you know that I've officially set up a Patreon. If anyone feels like supporting me and the story, you can check it out! Just a heads-up: there won't be any advanced chapters or special perks locked behind a paywall. It is strictly a tip jar for pure donations if you want to support my writing journey.
How to find my Patreon:
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Or
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As for those interested in an online crash course on writing in my style. If you aren't familiar with my style, it just means you haven't read my fanfic, The Boys: What the Cuckoo Keeps, so go read that first.
If you liked how write and want to write your own fanfiction, or if you're feeling ambitious and want to build your own original work, this course is for you.
Because this requires actual, hands-on work from me, this tier is strictly capped at 4 slots for now.
With only 4 people, one dedicated day of the week belongs entirely to you. On your day, your writing, your plots, and your drafts take priority. I will literally sit down and help you write.
The Benefits
Direct Draft Reviews: Send me your work and I'll review it. I'll point out what's working, suggest specific ideas, and give you feedback on exactly how to make it better.
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Character Development: We'll analyze your characters to make sure they are memorable, distinct, and actively driving the story instead of just filling space.
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Important Note:
If you're writing fanfiction for a fandom I'm unfamiliar with, my ability to help with plot-specific questions may be limited. I can still assist with character writing, scene construction, pacing, dialogue, prose, and general storytelling, but I may not be able to offer detailed advice on canon events, lore, or franchise-specific plotlines.
Before joining, please reach out and ask whether I'm familiar with your fandom so we can determine if I'm the right person to help with your project.
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