Butcher and Hughie carried The Invisible Man to a secret room in an abandoned factory and shoved him into the prepared iron cage.
To prevent the chip inside The Invisible Man from being tracked, Hughie went out to buy shielding foil, while Frenchie and Butcher busied themselves electrifying the cage.
"You're dead! You'd better let me go, and fast!"
Even locked inside the electrified cage, The Invisible Man remained defiant. "Otherwise, when Homelander gets here, he'll kill every last one of you!"
"See? You heard him. He said Homelander's going to kill us."
Alvin pulled out his phone, opened the camera, and aimed it at the man in the cage. "Oh, my God. How terrifying. If Homelander finds out we kidnapped one of The Seven, he'll use his Heat Vision to viciously slice us up and turn us into a pile of meat!"
"What do you think, Frenchie?"
Without a word, Butcher jabbed an electric prod into the cage, then turned to look at Frenchie.
The Invisible Man convulsed all over from the shock, but kept cursing and making threats.
"My idea is to shove this son of a bitch back into his mother's womb!"
Frenchie spat out a string of curses, then lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "He can rearrange the carbon in his skin, making it as hard as diamond. Ordinary methods won't kill him."
That was the confidence behind The Invisible Man's arrogance. He'd been captured, but his skin was as hard as diamond. There was no way these few people could kill him.
He'd been waterboarded 183 times in the Middle East. It had taken six whole months before he finally talked once.
But did this group have six months?
No. They didn't even have six hours. He'd been out of contact for twenty-four hours already. Soon, Vought International would notice.
It wouldn't be long before Homelander found this place and killed every last one of these damn bastards!
"I'm not the one who's trapped here. You are." The Invisible Man laughed even more brazenly. "If you don't want to die, you'd better let me go right now."
Butcher and Frenchie couldn't think of a way to kill The Invisible Man on short notice, and fell silent.
"I have an idea."
Alvin didn't want to waste time. Leaning against the doorframe, he said, "No matter how hard a man is on the outside, his rectum is warm and soft, isn't it?"
Hughie returned with the shielding foil in his arms and heard this. He looked completely bewildered.
Butcher and Frenchie, on the other hand, wore knowing smiles. "He's right. Even if his skin's as hard as diamond, his rectum and internal organs have to be soft!"
The Invisible Man in the cage finally stopped acting tough. His tone changed abruptly. "No, no! What do you want? Money? I can give you plenty. Let me go, and I swear I won't come after you. And I promise I won't tell anyone about the bug!"
Unfortunately, Butcher thought his promise was about as useful as toilet paper. "Get some good sleep!"
Without another word, he grabbed the electric prod and gave The Invisible Man a shock treatment.
"Frenchie, prepare a little surprise for this bastard," Butcher said.
"No problem. I'm good at this."
Frenchie agreed, grabbed his bag, and left. He needed to buy a few supplies.
"W-wait. Weren't you going to interrogate him?" Hughie finally managed to process what was happening. He asked in horror, "You're going to kill him? He's a national treasure—one of The Seven!"
"Sometimes, I really wonder if you have a brain."
Butcher sneered. "This guy's seen our faces. You really think he'll let us go? Or are you planning to wait until Homelander finds out and turns us into roast chickens with his Heat Vision?"
"But..."
Hughie's mind was reeling.
At first, he'd only wanted revenge on Locomotive. How had things gotten so out of hand?
"I don't have time to explain. If you don't want to die, keep an eye on that bastard." Butcher handed Hughie the electric prod, then glanced at Alvin and gestured for him to come outside.
Once outside, Butcher could think of nothing but his wife, Rebecca. He couldn't wait to say, "Now, we can talk about your deal."
"Of course, Mr. Butcher."
Alvin spoke slowly, like a sharp, shrewd businessman. "I give you a piece of information, and you get me what I want. In return, I'll tell you where Rebecca Butcher is. It's that simple, and it benefits us both. Don't you agree?"
"Why should I believe you?" Butcher asked coldly, his distrust plain.
"Eight years ago, your wife attended a Vought Company party. Homelander took her into a room," Alvin said, his smile never fading. "Three hours later, Rebecca Butcher left that room. Then she vanished without a trace and was officially declared dead. Am I right?"
Butcher's chest heaved. His eyes seemed to spit fire, but he still managed to hold himself back. "The CIA knows all that, too. It's not proof of anything."
"Then let me put it another way."
Alvin looked at Butcher with an amused, knowing expression. His tone carried a hint of mockery. "After Homelander raped your wife, she gave birth to his child. Then Vought International secretly hid them away. That information should be enough to earn your trust, shouldn't it?"
BOOM!
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Butcher's mind.
He'd been cheated on?!
And his wife had even given birth to Homelander's child!
"No. No, that's impossible!" Butcher's blood surged, the veins on his forehead bulging as he roared, "You're lying to me! It can't be true!"
"The child is special. He was born with superpowers and inherited Homelander's genes."
Alvin didn't care whether Butcher could handle it. He continued, "So Vought International values him highly. They even kept him—and Rebecca—hidden in a secret compound without Homelander's knowledge."
"Born with superpowers? That's what makes him special?" Butcher was furious, but he still caught the key phrase.
"That's what I want you to help me get."
Alvin's gaze narrowed slightly. He spoke calmly. "Compound V. Vought International secretly injected this drug into babies, creating superhumans who were born with their powers."
"Whether it's Homelander or The Invisible Man..."
He stared at Butcher's bewildered face and enunciated each word. "Their superpowers didn't come from God. They came from Compound V."
A deafening boom seemed to ring in Butcher's mind, leaving it completely blank.
Superpowers... came from a drug?!
"No wonder. No wonder Vought International can control so many supes!"
At last, Butcher understood all the scattered clues, including why his wife had disappeared and why Vought had hidden her away!
The child had inherited Homelander's genes. He was a real, naturally born supe, never given the drug!
"If I get you Compound V, you'll tell me where my wife is, right?"
Butcher believed him now. It would be easy enough to verify whether Compound V was real.
"Exactly. That's our deal."
Alvin handed him a slip of paper. "These are the clues. With your skills, it shouldn't be hard to get it, right?"
"Claw Woman?" The paper had a name and a phone number on it. Butcher's brows knitted together. "You're saying she has Compound V?"
"I'm not sure, but there's a good chance."
Alvin smiled. "She's close with Locomotive. I mean, really close."
Butcher clenched the paper in his fist and stared at Alvin's handsome face. His voice turned vicious. "Fine. I'll do it. But if I find out you've lied to me, I swear I'll use every means at my disposal to make you understand what despair feels like!"
"Mr. Butcher, you can always trust me."
Alvin straightened up slightly and spoke with righteous conviction. "As a businessman, I have my pride and principles!"
Then he silently added to himself: That is, unless you're scum!
Before you continue