Joint Patrol

"Absolute power doesn't usually bring absolute responsibility. It brings absolute stability."

Rorschach started the coffee machine and waited quietly for rich coffee to flow into his cup.

By his reckoning, he had timed that phone call perfectly.

Homelander should have finished dealing with the official who had brought up Compound V by then.

The whole thing was idiotic. He could have killed the man anytime, so why did he have to do it on the flight home, right after Vought International had negotiated a contract with him?

A gang shootout. An official dropping dead. How much better that would have sounded.

They could even have fabricated a "supervillain." There were countless ways to silence the man for good.

Madelyne had planned to do just that.

Instead, Homelander had sprung this "surprise" on her. It was horrifying.

Even so, she forced a smile and soothed him.

The call itself was strange. No number, no record, nothing.

Madelyne had ordered her people to investigate, but she knew that anyone bold enough to make that call was confident Vought could not trace it.

"Why would he do that?"

Homelander lay in Madelyne's arms. For years, he had turned to her like this for comfort.

Even when he and Queen Maeve had been passionately involved.

"But I still don't get it. What's his motive?"

"You have to understand, not everyone likes the light, even if most people love a big boy like you."

"Those people hiding in the dark—you'll have to drag them into the light."

"Then I'll burn them with my light until there's nothing left."

Homelander spoke through gritted teeth. In fact, he had vented his anger that way several times already.

It just had not happened on this land of freedom, so his fans knew nothing about it.

Otherwise, once public opinion turned, that big boy and Vought International behind him would likely find themselves trapped in a storm they could not escape.

Elsewhere, Rorschach looked at the full three hundred breaking points credited to his account and nodded in satisfaction.

Even Homelander's super-hearing had failed to locate him during the call, leaving the man with nothing to do but rage.

Having already made one mistake, Homelander could not afford to cross the line again anytime soon.

He might be Vought's star attraction, but even Vought would not keep cleaning up after its product again and again.

What Rorschach needed to decide now was who to start with.

He had three targets in mind.

Translucent could turn invisible, but his skin conducted electricity wonderfully. Vought also used sensors to track his position inside the tower.

Most of the time, he liked to lurk in a corner and take advantage of his invisibility.

A-Train could run faster than sound, but now that he was over thirty, he could not outrun the effects of age. He relied on Compound V to stay competitive.

The Deep was a mediocre version of Aquaman. He could neither command the winds and waves of the seven seas nor summon something like a deadly Seven-Headed Shark.

His gills were sensitive, and he was deeply ashamed of them.

Black Noir and Maeve were both formidable fighters without any major weaknesses. Those two would be tough nuts to crack.

Though, if he had to name one weakness, perhaps emotional damage would work wonders?

As for Starlight, he needed to build up her goodwill to get the most out of their connection.

If breaking someone was the way to maximize his gains, the choice was obvious...

The Deep!

Rorschach had already ruined the man's fun and threatened him with Nicholas, that big lobster.

The Deep had made no effort to hide his murderous intent. If they had been by the sea and Starlight had not been there...

Rorschach figured he would inevitably have ended up as fish food.

Good. The man had given Rorschach every reason to go after him. He would be first!

No sooner decided than done. Rorschach opened the system interface.

He would try one draw to start.

[Congratulations! You have obtained: High-Voltage Stun Baton.]

[Capable of continuously delivering a high-intensity current. It has a fatality rate of over seventy percent against ordinary people. Use with caution.]

It was undoubtedly an effective weapon against weaker superheroes.

Its usefulness would probably be limited, though.

That left Rorschach in an awkward spot. He could not call it a bad draw; the thing would be useful to some extent.

But a good draw? It was not all that useful either...

So Rorschach turned his attention to the system shop...

If he remembered correctly, The Deep was scheduled to go on patrol with Translucent in a few days.

Yes, that was right. Superheroes did not patrol the city because of their investigations or convictions.

Vought had a dedicated crime division that could pull footage from hundreds of cameras at once, identifying suspects and pinpointing crime scenes.

And it was all so—

They could set up enough cameras for the superheroes to make stylish entrances and give interviews afterward.

The irony was hard to miss.

As the saying went, "What you see is what they want you to see."

On this joint patrol, the two members of The Seven were only there to stop a deal between a couple of petty crooks.

As The Deep leaned back and leaped into the water in a stylish pose, a set of clothes that looked as though someone was wearing them silently approached the two groups of thugs.

Oblivious to the trouble bearing down on them, the thugs were still holding submachine guns and checking the purity of their magic powder when they were abruptly knocked down.

"It's Translucent!"

Some thugs raised their guns and fired wildly, while others scrambled for the back door.

"Evening, fellas."

The Deep flashed a smile—at the camera, of course—then knocked the thugs down.

Translucent had already put his clothes on. The two exchanged a look of easy understanding.

"Great! You two did an excellent job!"

Their supervisor, Ashley, came in with the camera crew, and The Deep greeted her with a smile.

"Another perfect day, right?"

The Deep grinned and high-fived his good friend Translucent. The two had certain things in common.

For instance, The Deep was quite willing to spend an enjoyable night with his fans, while Translucent would sometimes watch silently from a corner, then step in when the time was right.

"I heard you tried to take advantage of that sweetheart from Iowa, only for some outsider to embarrass you?"

While everyone else was busy gathering footage, Translucent stood beside The Deep and teased him.

"Don't remind me. That... that Rorschach!" The Deep still clenched his teeth at the thought of his face.

"Don't worry, buddy. If he keeps seeing Starlight, that girl who's as innocent as a blank sheet of paper..."

Neither finished the thought, but both smiled knowingly.

What could be better for stalking and disposing of someone you hated than an invisible, bulletproof body?

The thought cheered The Deep up, and he said goodbye to Translucent.

What he did not realize was that, after that night, he would be leaving The Seven for good.

And he would become a laughingstock across the country.