"Without my powers, those politicians, those ordinary people—they could kill me with a single gunshot!"
John looked utterly bewildered.
"Shut up and listen to me," Homelander snapped.
John fell silent at once, instinctively shrinking back.
"Losing your powers is a trial you need to face." Homelander softened his tone, like a stern father guiding a lost son. "You rely too much on Heat Vision and that bulletproof body. You've never learned to use your head to understand the world."
"When the time comes, I'll help you get your powers back," Homelander promised.
At those words, a glimmer finally returned to John's vacant eyes. The panic inside him began to subside.
If anyone in the world could help him, it was the father standing before him.
But he still had a problem to face.
"Father, what do I do next?" John asked. "The whole country is waiting for my broadcast, but look at me now..."
Homelander turned toward the camera equipment nearby, which was still mostly intact.
"First," Homelander said, raising one finger, "tell your technical team to restore the feed. Show the public everything that just happened."
John froze. "Everything?"
"Declare Butcher and his group's actions a terrorist attack," Homelander said, his gaze sharp. "Tell the world they're extremist terrorists who stand against humanity. They plotted to destroy the White House, Washington, perhaps even the entire country."
"Second." Homelander raised another finger. "Stand before every camera and tell everyone that you stopped the disaster, but the cost was..."
"You were infected with the supervirus they intended to use to wipe out humanity. You lost your powers and became one of them."
John stared at him.
He opened his mouth, then hesitated for a long while before speaking. "Will... will that work? Will they believe me?"
He lowered his head, years