Creating an Opening

"Homelander really knows what he's doing. A while ago, the crowd would've torn him apart for this."

While Rorschach was off stirring up trouble with his crew, New York was having plenty of excitement of its own.

First, Shockwave's entry into The Seven had left people across the United States unhappy with the team's lineup. It was too white.

Apart from Black Noir, who was covered head to toe in armor, the other heroes were basically all white.

Some people in Brooklyn couldn't let that slide.

At least they'd had A-Train, "The Fastest Man in the World," to represent them.

But after the official race, A-Train rushed through a round of endorsements and retired.

He hadn't even had a ceremony before announcing his departure from The Seven. Many Black supporters who had rallied behind him were furious.

As for Shockwave, he had only one thing to say: "I welcome any challenge."

Faced with his undeniable ability, the media and protesters alike fell silent.

After all, he had earned the title of fastest man on the track, and every procedure had been followed.

At this point, all they could do was pin their hopes on Black Noir again.

Then came the incident abroad, where Homelander had gone after a Supervillain and left an innocent bystander seriously injured.

Though Vought International had done everything it could to suppress the story, his approval rating had still fallen by 9.5 percentage points.

What Rorschach hadn't expected was the flood of images spreading online. Even the netizens who had been up in arms were posting less.

The images were simple and direct, with a few popular memes thrown in... They were probably Stormfront's work.

Had those two gotten together already?

Then again, by this point in the original timeline, Translucent had already had a public funeral.

Even the first week after Madelyne's and Shapeshifter's deaths would have passed.

Yet here they were, both alive and enjoying a night in New York.

"So, next..."

Rorschach thought it over, glanced around the room, and decided to make a big move.

He had even stolen Homelander's family out from under him. Every time Homelander watched footage of Ryan's life or went looking for him, Rorschach gained a satisfying haul of Defense-Break Points.

Simply keeping his head down and growing stronger seemed dull now.

He needed another major incident, something that would leave Vought too busy to deal with anything else!

"Butcher," Rorschach called softly.

"What?"

Butcher came over from Becca's side, clearly reluctant.

"Give this vial of Compound V to Susan. In exchange, the CIA needs to protect your families."

"What are you plotting now?"

Butcher knew perfectly well that a fair number of these superheroes existed to do Vought's dirty work.

That was how they got to keep living however they pleased.

He couldn't let them get near the families of anyone on his team.

The team would fall apart if that happened.

Rorschach didn't want any needless casualties either.

"That includes Becca and Ryan, and your family too."

Rorschach said it as Butcher was leaving.

"What exactly are you planning?"

Even Butcher broke into a cold sweat.

Rorschach knew about everyone else's family situation, and he knew about Butcher's.

Yet he drifted through it all like a wandering ghost, seemingly without anyone of his own to worry about.

"You'll find out later."

Rorschach offered no further answer. Instead, he looked toward Mouse and Kimiko.

He had deliberately chosen a spacious room so the two of them could practice their powers whenever they had a chance.

Kimiko was wild by nature, and her power was passive.

Her fighting style might have been rough, but she could overwhelm any armed guard.

Mouse wasn't nearly as strong. His physical abilities were a little weaker, and his telekinesis had barely any effect unless he used his hands.

Rorschach had worked out that Vought's Compound V acted on the spinal cord and brain. Its main effect was to give humans a Bio-Electric Aura.

The physical enhancement wasn't quite as terrifying, though it could make a person tough enough to take a bullet against their skin.

Since the two people on his team had learned about the aura early, they could train with a clearer purpose.

Other heroes trained by lifting weights, fighting, and using their powers over and over.

They knew they had abilities and could use them by instinct, but they didn't know where those abilities came from.

Once Kimiko and Mouse understood the Bio-Electric Aura, their progress was remarkable.

Rorschach wondered whether Starlight was making the same kind of progress.

At the very least, if he launched a surprise attack on those two now, he wouldn't take them down immediately.

Kimiko could react and put up a decent counterattack. Mouse could just barely react in time, slow himself down, and dodge.

Of course, the end result was still the same.

"Deathstroke's template really is good value..." Rorschach thought as he opened the store again.

He had a team like this now, and Starlight could switch sides at any time.

Threats had to be dealt with one by one. First, he needed to create an opening.

If The Seven stayed together and holed up in Vought Tower, Rorschach would need more chances to break them.

That was precisely why he needed to split them up and make those bastards face the punishment they deserved, one by one.

Vought Tower, eighty-second floor.

Homelander walked into Edgar's office with a smile.

He badly wanted to go out and explain himself. Stormfront had even taught him a few lines to use.

Besides, Councilwoman Victoria was outside Vought Tower right now, speaking into a microphone.

Every word she said cut deep, and the crowd around her cheered.

"Why won't you let me go down and say a few words? Aren't I the leader of The Seven?"

Homelander pushed the female assistant out and shut the door. He was still smiling, but he could no longer hide the anger in his voice.

"You? Say a few words?"

"What exactly do you intend to say?"

Edgar took off his glasses, walked around to the front of his desk, and looked Homelander straight in the eye.

"Shift their attention! Make them understand how hard I work!"

"And I'm the face of this superhero company! My contract expires this year! I can do whatever I want!"

Seeing Edgar remain so calm, Homelander finally lost his grip on the emotions he had been struggling to contain.

"Do you know our company's history, Homelander?"

Edgar's sudden change of subject caught Homelander off guard.

"What?"

Even with all the leverage he thought he had, Homelander couldn't help feeling confused.

"Our company's founder was a genius with a past worthy of a legend."

"That's why we're a pharmaceutical company, not a superhero company."

Homelander suddenly felt a twinge of regret. Maybe he really shouldn't have provoked the old man.

"You leaked our most valuable secret, Compound V, and created so-called 'Supervillains' to make the whole world play your superhero game."

"So I'll say it again, Mr. Homelander."

"You're in no position to tell me you want to go down there and say something. Understood?"

Homelander was arrogant enough to threaten anyone in the world, yet at that moment he looked like a schoolboy being scolded for failing to finish his homework.

He held his head stiffly, struggling to keep his expression under control.

"All right. I understand."

He forced a twitch of a smile and walked out of the office.