Becca

"Is this... your brother?"

The others had returned to their place, and now they stared at the young man before them as if they'd seen a ghost.

His power seemed to be controlling objects with his mind. Telekinesis, for short.

Was this guy really Kimiko's brother?

Kimiko, meanwhile, gazed at her brother with tears in her eyes. Then she dropped to the floor before Rorschach and repeatedly knocked her forehead against it.

"Hey, you... help your sister up..."

Rorschach really didn't dare reach out to help her himself.

In terms of raw strength, he still couldn't match Kimiko.

The other three burly men had even less chance. It would probably take all three of them just to hold her back.

"Okay, okay... everyone calm down."

After Rorschach's latest outing, they had all realized something downright uncanny: the things he said might actually come true!

He'd said he would help Kimiko find her brother, and now the siblings really had been reunited!

Which made Butcher think of...

His wife, Becca!

He wanted to rush at Rorschach, but Frenchie and Marvin moved together to stop him.

"Even Kimiko can't beat him now. You still think you can force him to do what you want?"

Frenchie's words helped Butcher calm down a little.

With Deathstroke's abilities now at Rorschach's disposal, taking down the three of them head-on might still be a little troublesome.

But if Rorschach struck first, they'd probably last only two or three seconds longer than the armed gangsters at the docks.

"Don't rush. If your wife were that easy to find, you wouldn't have spent all these years without a single lead."

Rorschach's words hit Butcher like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head.

"Go on."

Butcher heard what Rorschach was implying. He had a lead, but that didn't mean he could find Becca.

If they failed to find her and alerted Homelander instead, things would only get worse.

Butcher had endured years of dead ends. A few days ago, they'd even put up Becca's gravestone.

He had endured that too, hadn't he?

His methods could be brutal, but for his wife's safety, he could swallow his frustration a while longer.

"Tomorrow we visit your friend Grace Mallory. After that, we leave New York. What do you say?"

Rorschach's answer caught Butcher off guard. They were setting out tomorrow?

After all the commotion tonight, they shouldn't be showing their faces in public so soon.

Not with so many gangsters dead.

"At least tell me this: is Becca alive or dead? How is she?"

Butcher looked like a wolf that had starved for seven days and finally spotted a piece of meat. A savage green glint flashed in his eyes.

"Relax. She's alive, with both arms and both legs."

Rorschach wasn't sure whether Homelander had spotted Butcher during everything they'd done so far.

And if he had, would he connect Butcher to Becca's disappearance eight years ago?

Because once Homelander started investigating, his ability to read body temperature from a distance, see through things, and hear almost anything made him a walking lie detector.

Rorschach didn't expect Madelyne to keep the secret, either.

In fact, Madelyne was still alive partly because Rorschach had caused so much trouble that Homelander's attention was elsewhere.

Rorschach was wary of Madelyne's ability to keep The Seven in line, but he couldn't use her as a pawn or a bargaining chip, either.

Right now, though, she clearly wasn't what mattered most. Becca was!

"Ladies! Look this way!"

Starlight flashed a sweet smile and struck a pose before countless cameras and flashing lights.

Beside her, Maeve kept her warrior's stance.

Stormfront turned sideways, a ball of electricity dancing between her hands.

Behind them hung a banner that read, "When Girls Get It Done, Nothing Goes Wrong."

Ashley beamed from the back.

This was incredible. For the first time ever, The Seven had three female heroes.

Slogans about "equality" were surging across the internet again.

It was the perfect topic to put Vought in the spotlight while drowning out some of the recent bad press.

Madelyne was busy handling matters involving Homelander and Shockwave, as well as discussing the Act with Congress.

Ashley was so lucky to have been given this project!

"Ladies, today is a big day. We'll be meeting domestic media until noon, ten minutes per outlet..."

"Foreign media until two, a roundtable until four, then one-on-one print interviews until six..."

Ashley strode to the front, rattling off the schedule.

"She's going to die of excitement... I'm afraid she'll burst any second."

Stormfront trailed Ashley with a carefree swagger, and her comment made Starlight laugh.

Maeve walked at the back, looking preoccupied.

"We need to project positivity... As women, we're thoughtful, but we're also optimistic."

Ashley kept going over the talking points. She had to: two of the three heroes were newcomers.

Only Maeve, a seasoned interview veteran, could lead the others through what they needed to say.

Through an afternoon of interviews, Starlight retained a touch of innocence, while Maeve stuck to her usual polished lines.

Only Stormfront, who never missed a chance to say something provocative, showed her true personality.

"How do you have the nerve to come see me?"

"Need me to remind you? You owe me."

Butcher looked unfazed by Colonel Mallory's anger. Rorschach stood silently off to one side.

"You said you'd do everything you could to help me."

"That was before Lamplighter burned my grandchildren to death! He didn't even leave their teeth behind!"

The former CIA woman could no longer contain her rage.

"And what the hell is he doing here? I don't recall anyone new being willing to work with you after that."

"You've got it wrong... He's my boss."

Butcher paused and glanced at Rorschach, who was holding a book in one hand. When Rorschach showed no reaction, Butcher went on.

"Listen, you wanted to turn me into a spear aimed at Homelander. I did that."

"Now it's time you paid what you owe me."

"Why? What made you willing to risk your life again after all this time?"

Colonel Mallory studied him, puzzled. The fire of revenge had rekindled in his eyes.

It was that same look that had led Grace Mallory to approach Butcher with information and have him put together The Boys team.

That fire had gone out when Lamplighter burned her grandchildren to death.

"Becca."

Butcher spoke the name slowly.

"All right. My turn."

Rorschach closed his book. The calmness in his eyes startled Mallory even more.

If they were looking for Becca, they were getting involved with Homelander!

He was the strongest human being on the planet, yet this man showed no concern at all.

He looked as casual as if he were going downstairs to buy cigarettes and a drink.

"I see you've met someone interesting. No wonder you've remembered your old target."

Grace's words were edged with mockery. Then she turned a cold gaze on Rorschach. "Well? What do you want?"

"A high-level Vought access pass. A good three-row SUV, preferably a Hummer, with no way to trace where it came from."

"And two of the computers your intelligence people use to fool surveillance systems."

"Give me three days, and I'll have a surprise for you."