Coordination

"We've seized the initiative."

Rorschach stood a whiteboard upright and explained the situation to The Boys.

If they didn't understand what they were about to do, they would only get in the way.

Besides, things often went wrong. Sometimes he would need them to think on their feet.

"The Deep has left The Seven for Atlanta, and Stormfront has taken his place."

"That bastard..." Butcher stared at Stormfront's smiling face. The hatred on his own hadn't faded a bit.

As far as he was concerned, every Supe deserved to die.

"A-Train is on the verge of being forced into retirement. His departure from The Seven is inevitable."

Rorschach tapped A-Train's photo, then stuck Shockwave's beside it.

"He got us a physical sample of Vought International's Compound V. In return, he'll come after Frenchie."

"As for Translucent, you saw what happened that night. He's under control now."

Rorschach had a fair idea of the quality of the items the system provided. Besides, Translucent had no choice now but to cooperate with him.

"Starlight and Maeve can both be brought over to our side. No question about it."

"That leaves us with three main targets: Homelander, Black Noir, and Stormfront."

Kimiko was the first to draw a blank as she listened to Rorschach.

The other three were somewhat lost, too.

It hadn't even been a month, and The Seven had already been reshuffled?

In the movies, they were the first line of defense against alien invasions, practically unbreakable.

Butcher had returned to this line of work for one reason: to kill Homelander and avenge his wife.

Everything else was just a means to that end.

Exposing Compound V, leading this team—it was all the same to him.

Whether his reasons were public or personal, what he wanted to bring Homelander was "judgment."

Rorschach, however, wasn't eager to clear this world so quickly.

The first world was usually a practice run, with a low difficulty level.

He wanted to stay here, break his opponents a few more times, and earn enough before leaving.

So far, he had given Homelander a psychological scar and cost both The Deep and A-Train their standing.

The system had given him a full year, and only about a month had passed.

Besides, there was another big name across the ocean: Soldier Boy.

Before Homelander appeared, he had been the nation's icon, even more prominent than Homelander was now.

To Rorschach, he was a walking ATM... Ahem, a Supe-power nullifier.

That "human cannon" in his chest would be a useful weapon.

And Black Noir was currently loyal to Vought, not a clone of Homelander.

So it would be better to let the old man out of his cryogenic chamber.

Considering Vought International's contingency plans, the company certainly wouldn't let Homelander run wild.

Rorschach had more or less worked out the overall plan.

It would probably take less than a year to bring Vought down.

But there was one thing he was curious about.

These "Defense-Break Points" were named for breaking someone's defenses, yet both psychological and physical damage could earn them.

How many points would killing someone bring?

While A-Train still had a place in The Seven and his status still mattered, Rorschach figured he was worth a try.

Simply beating up Homelander had already earned him over a thousand points, and the total had kept growing over the past few days.

Rorschach was starting to feel more and more like a traditional, long-winded villain.

Meanwhile, Homelander was giving Stormfront a cold look.

"I hear you've been getting plenty of resources lately."

His tone was flat, but there was an edge to it.

Some of the scars on his face were too severe to conceal with makeup.

So the company had poured resources into Stormfront instead.

She had been stealing the spotlight on television, and it made Homelander seethe.

After all, whenever he followed the company's script, he seemed to get fewer cheers than Stormfront did by apparently improvising.

"No need to come after me so quickly. I'm here to help you."

Looking at the little hint of pride on Stormfront's face, Homelander found himself thinking of Madelyne.

Then he thought of how busy Madelyne had been with work and her child, and how little attention she paid him now.

His anger flared. His eyes glowed red as he stared straight at Stormfront.

"Go ahead."

Far from afraid, she puffed out her chest and stepped toward him.

Only when his lasers struck her skin and failed to penetrate it did a startled Homelander realize she had reached him.

She shoved him hard, driving him into the wall.

Was Homelander going to take that? He shoved her right back.

Against the night sky, the two slowly rose into the air. By the end of their all-night lesson, both had learned a great deal.

Elsewhere, A-Train received word from the crime unit. Their round-the-clock work had paid off.

"At least eight identities. We don't know his real name. The last time anyone saw him, he was carrying a big bag of supplies and followed a man into a house."

"That's him!"

A-Train stared hard at the man.

Because of him, A-Train had been forced to kill the girlfriend he loved most.

The pain had consumed him. He could only spend night after night partying at clubs, drinking to drown his sorrows.

Now it was all going to end.

He circled the area and, after confirming there were no traps, entered the room.

A man sat with his back to him, steadily chewing the food on his plate.

The man seemed unaware of the danger bearing down on him. He just kept eating.

A-Train's breathing grew uneven. He kept reminding himself to make the man give up his accomplices before killing him.

Thud!

A figure darted out and struck with an iron bar, breaking A-Train's bone in a single blow.

"Fuck!" A-Train collapsed to the floor with a cry of pain.

"Looks like you superheroes really don't have to train much."

Rorschach came slowly up from the basement, holding several vials of blue liquid.

"What? Where did you get that stuff?"

A-Train's eyes widened in disbelief.

Then he got a clear look at Rorschach's face, and even deeper despair set in.

This was a Supe. A Supe was about to attack him...

"Want it?"

Sweat poured off A-Train as pain throbbed through his broken bone, but his gaze stayed fixed on the Compound V in Rorschach's hand.

"That's right. One injection, and you'll still be The Fastest Man in the World."

"If the sound system hadn't been altered, the air currents around you would be the same as ever. With your muscle memory and that intense rush, maybe you could still be The Fastest Man in the World, couldn't you?"

The mention of the sound system made A-Train recall what Homelander had said before.

"It was you..." He struggled to move away, but the exit was already blocked.

Terror gripped him. He had come too hastily and, because Compound V was involved, had brought no backup.

"A-Train? Then let's see what a train looks like at full speed."