Taming the Wolf

"Phew..."

Walking down the street, Rorschach let out a long breath.

Once he brought that useful pawn into the fold tomorrow, he might finally get a little rest.

Too much had happened lately, but he had succeeded in causing Vought International serious trouble.

The company had failed to win over the lawmakers, and The Seven were hardly united.

For old hands like them, controlling a newcomer should have been easy.

But then Shockwave had joined, and The Deep had been transferred away.

The Seven now had only six members, including a troublemaker like Translucent.

At least their three pillars still stood firm. If the triangle formed by Homelander, Maeve, and Black Noir ever collapsed,

that would be a real disaster for Vought International.

A new day brought a fresh start.

New York's streets greeted the morning sun with a different kind of energy.

At night, the city dazzled with lights, drink, and excess.

By day, New York invited endless possibility, as though any dream could come true there.

A man could defy everyone's doubts, break the world record again, and become the fastest man alive.

Or he could leave rural Iowa behind and come to New York to become one of the biggest superheroes around.

New York was not just a place where dreams died. Far more people believed they were among the chosen few, destined to taste success.

"You dragged us out here for breakfast this early?"

Butcher sat stiffly upright, while Marvin and Frenchie clumsily tried to pick up soup dumplings with their chopsticks.

"We'll have plenty to do soon. Once we get through it, we can take a breather."

Rorschach had no intention of telling them everything.

Between the three of them, they had eight hundred schemes brewing. Add the new pawn, and the total would probably drop to 799.

Rorschach only needed to give them the right instructions. They could figure out the rest themselves.

So he had no interest in earning their sympathy.

If things followed the usual pattern, this trip to another world would be followed by a second, a third...

"Looks like A-Train took quite a beating..."

Rorschach glanced at the several hundred points newly credited in the system and smiled with satisfaction.

Nearly a thousand points was quite a luxury.

Once he had all his pawns in place today, Rorschach needed to learn Vought International's next move before deciding how to act from the shadows.

For now, that was his only advantage.

Killing Homelander would be simple enough: spend a thousand points on a ten-minute Superman trial card.

One minute to finish the job, with nine left to explore space.

The problem was that it would accomplish nothing.

A man-child like Homelander would lose it within thirty seconds. If Rorschach's livestream drew enough viewers, showing the whole world his true face would not be hard.

And then?

Vought International would say Homelander was a failed product, but its other heroes were perfectly reliable.

Cut him loose, and business would go on as usual.

The god they had made a generation ago, the shield-bearing Soldier Boy, was gone too. Vought was still thriving, wasn't it?

The world kept turning no matter who disappeared, even someone who seemed as invincible as Homelander.

After all, Soldier Boy had looked formidable in his day. With his "Payback" team behind him, he had seemed unstoppable.

The ultimate goal was to expose Vought International for what it really was: a pharmaceutical company.

All its publicity and products could be outsourced. CEO Madelyne alone could keep the heroes of The Seven in line.

But hidden in its deepest, most secret reaches was the production line for Compound V.

Those tubes of eerie blue liquid, one after another, had created the public's "superhero dream."

And Rorschach plainly intended to destroy not only Vought International's dream, but that "superhero" dream as well.

When that beautiful bubble burst, plenty of people would wail.

Rorschach would enjoy that moment.

"Once we're inside, follow orders. We're walking into a dragon's den, so don't go soft. Got it?"

Rorschach said it because he knew someone was bound to slip up.

He had even brought the person most likely to do it.

It couldn't be helped. Frenchie was an expert at killing people and covering up crime scenes.

He had helped with The Female's scene, too.

The landlord was an American citizen, but apparently from South America, so his "disappearance" would not seem unusual. Nor would New York City devote much manpower to investigating it.

That job had earned them access to a large area. A-Train could not have used all the Compound V in one go. Though they already had a sample from The Female, they could find out more here.

This sort of work was unfamiliar to Rorschach, but the others on The Boys knew it all too well.

As they crept forward, they realized this was no ordinary gang!

Rorschach was the exception. His Beretta 92FS was already loaded.

"Follow my lead."

They slipped silently into the gang's hideout, easily bypassing two armed guards.

Beyond an iron door, a disheveled woman sat hugging her knees, watching a program on television.

"Frenchie, stop!"

Frenchie had grown increasingly drawn to her and was about to open the iron door when Rorschach's voice stopped him cold.

"We deal with the ones outside first. Then we handle her together."

Marvin nodded at Rorschach's words. Frenchie was the only one who still looked confused.

"Cut the chatter. We're underground. No one outside will hear the gunshots."

Butcher had always thought he was reckless enough, until he saw Rorschach.

This man was bolder than anyone. More importantly, his bold moves worked while keeping the risks as low as possible.

That was rare.

After a few sharp gunshots, fewer than five gang members lay on the floor.

"Can you understand me?"

Rorschach crouched before the iron door. The woman turned to look at him, her face expressionless.

"Nod if you understand. Shake your head if you don't."

Rorschach knew he had little time, but walking down the street with this filthy woman would still be better than carrying her.

She slowly nodded, and Rorschach went on.

"We're here to rescue you, but we're not doing it out of some selfless desire to set you free."

"Once you're out, you can eat what you need, wander wherever you like, and take care of your own business."

"But when I need you, you obey my orders without question. Understood?"

Kimiko, or Wolf Girl, slowly lowered her head.

Among wolves, that was a sign of submission to the pack leader.

"Don't worry. You didn't kill the wrong people." Rorschach's voice remained calm. The others hurried up behind him and saw him open the iron door.

"Once we're out, no killing people at random. Do that, and I'll tear your head off. Understood?"

Kimiko nodded fearfully. Then she took a couple of awkward steps and followed Rorschach, who had already started to leave.

"Make sure you're gone before the police arrive." Rorschach turned back and pointed toward Kimiko's room. Marvin immediately went to take a look.

"I'll take her to get a bath first. After all these days, the stink's practically soaked into her."

Rorschach waved a hand in distaste. Beside him, Kimiko smiled, though she had no idea why.