Among the superheroes present, there was only one Ryan hadn't met yet: Black Noir.
He first greeted Stormfront, whom he'd met earliest, then Starlight and Maeve, whom he'd met around the same time, with great enthusiasm.
Only then did he walk over with a solemn expression and stop in front of Black Noir.
Black Noir felt distinctly uncomfortable under the little boy's fiery gaze. He nodded at Ryan, as if to say, We've met. You can go now.
But Ryan still didn't move.
Black Noir began to avert his gaze, glancing from side to side. At last, he turned his head toward Homelander as if asking for help.
"I know you. You're always in Daddy's movies."
Black Noir drew his gaze back. Beneath the dark mask, his eyes were drawn to Ryan once more.
Ryan looked up at him with a warm smile.
Beneath that black helmet and suit, which revealed not a sliver of skin, was a pitiful, tragic soul.
A pang of sorrow crossed Ryan's heart again.
In the theatrical version, Black Noir was allergic to almonds. He hadn't been mute from birth, either. He'd lost his voice completely and suffered severe brain damage only after his grandfather had beaten him within an inch of his life.
The reason he could still sit here now...
Perhaps it was nothing more than the cartoon animals that appeared to keep him company and encourage him when he was alone at home.
"You're Daddy's best helper, Mr. Black Noir!"
Ryan hoped those words might help him escape death when the time came.
Black Noir stood up, a little nervously, then leaned over the table and held out his hand to Ryan.
Ryan gave it a gentle shake, then turned to Homelander and said, "Daddy, Mr. Black Noir likes me too."
"Of course. You're the best. You're the one who... Ahem, everyone has a reason to like you, son."
Homelander nearly stumbled over his words, so he hurried to add another compliment.
Once he saw that Ryan had greeted all the team members, he eagerly got down to business.
"Son, yesterday's script was a bit rushed, I admit, but I had them rewrite it overnight. Why don't we hear it again?"
It sounded like a question, but it wasn't really one.
He didn't give Ryan a chance to voice the strange idea in that little head of his. Instead, he signaled to Ashley to bring them in.
At the same time, Homelander beckoned Ryan over to the seat he'd deliberately left open beside him.
"Of course, sir."
Ashley tucked her tablet under her arm and clapped her hands toward the still-open door. "Come on in..."
The director and screenwriter, who had been waiting outside for some time, heard her and immediately carried in a covered presentation board.
After setting it down, Adam beamed. "Sir, thank you for giving me this great honor again. I'm deeply grateful. I worked through the night yesterday to—"
"Adam!"
Homelander cut off the flattery, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the girl in the corner who was still holding up her phone. What was her name again?
He said, "My son and I can't wait to find out what kind of hero story this is. Don't dawdle. Get started!"
"Of course, sir."
As Vought International's go-to director, Adam Burke had worked on countless superhero films.
Nearly all the biopics and blockbuster movies about Homelander and The Seven had either involved him or been directed by him.
Over the years, he'd learned the temper of the company's biggest star. He didn't dare waste a second, and immediately launched into his theatrical plot presentation.
"First, the title of the film..."
The director gave a sudden shiver. Then he cried out "Ding, ding, ding!" and, his face flushed, announced, "—Homelander Kid: Origins!"
Holy shit!!
Ryan, whose mind was elsewhere, nearly yelped in fright.
After the shock came an indescribable sense of frustration.
How was that title any different from yesterday's unrevised I'm Homelander's Son or Homelander: The Origin Story?
Everyone else seemed to feel the same way, except for Homelander. They were all struggling to keep their reactions to themselves.
Homelander Kid?
Was he afraid the audience wouldn't know what the movie was about, so he had to slap his dad's name on it?
"Clap! Clap!"
Homelander applauded lightly, then looked around the room. "What do you think of the title?"
Starlight hadn't caught on yet. She was just about to say that it sounded like a terrible movie when Maeve beat her to it with a light laugh. "It suits Ryan's identity. I have no objections."
After speaking, she glanced at Starlight.
Starlight immediately understood what Homelander's earlier words had meant.
But just as she was about to speak again, Stormfront beat her to it. "It's a great title. I can hardly wait to see it released."
"Adam, make sure you finish it! As soon as possible!"
"Of course. I've already finished the story outline and the opening."
The director looked to Homelander for permission.
Once he had it, he cleared his throat and began, brimming with emotion. "The movie opens. Young Ryan stands on a farm, bewildered, and asks himself: Who am I?..."
Ryan pretended to listen. Every so often, he glanced at Homelander, who seemed genuinely engrossed in the story rather than distracted.
You've really set the stage today!
I have to applaud you for that, Daddy.
Ryan let his thoughts wander.
He thought back to what had happened yesterday.
After Homelander had flown into a rage, Ashley read out Stan Edgar's cryptic order.
At first, Ryan had thought the poor woman was about to get her hopes up only to have them dashed again.
But to his surprise, Homelander had simply said, "Reply to Stan. I'll discuss Ryan's superpowers with him later," and let her off the hook.
That should have been the end of it. Ryan wouldn't have given it another thought, assuming it was just company policy.
But the strange thing was that right after the order to register his superpowers came another instruction: he was to make a movie.
That was undoubtedly a good thing!
Ryan had been looking forward to the scene from the original story where he filmed a movie. He could use the opportunity to propose changes, earn acting experience, and test how he could obtain equipment.
But!
The timing was wrong, especially since Stan Edgar had just dealt him a dirty trick.
There was no reason for him to fret over a trivial matter that wasn't his responsibility. That would be a needless confession, adding complications for no reason.
Or maybe the old bastard simply didn't consider him worth worrying about.
At the time, Ryan's instinctive reaction had been: It's a plot!
But then he'd seen how delighted Homelander was. Had Homelander known about this before the order came down?
And had he been looking forward to it?
But... why?
Ryan hadn't figured it out then. After all, anyone's mind would've been a little muddled after a shock like that.
He only slowly pieced it together after they'd left.
Homelander undoubtedly wanted his son to be just like him. Only if they were alike could they avoid repeating the old mistakes.
It was that very insecurity that led Homelander to actively ignore some of Stan Edgar's other intentions.
Once Ryan figured it out, he immediately went to Mitchell, also known as Raven.
His goal was the same as Homelander's in one respect, but different in another.
The shared goal was to set aside whatever Stan Edgar was planning for now, get the movie approved, and put Homelander's mind at ease in the process.
But Ryan didn't want to appear on the big screen of his second life as the kind of person Homelander hoped he'd be.
So Ryan used Mitchell's livestream to share his excitement with the viewers and talk a little about the kind of character and story he wanted to film.
He knew Homelander would eavesdrop. That was the point.
And after Homelander found out what he wanted, he really did use his head, somehow managing to put together today's big production.
Ryan's wandering gaze swept over everyone in the room again.
Judging by their reactions just now, they'd nearly all given in to Homelander's intimidation and started trying to persuade me, even though they didn't mean a word of it.
Mm-hmm. Don't rush, Homie. It'll be my turn soon!
Before you continue