Chapter Summaries

Lucian comforted a disillusioned Starlight, then used the chance to copy her light energy manipulation ability. By morning, he had permanently acquired the power and stood by the motel window, sensing the electricity around him.

• Starlight told Lucian that Vought had rejected her objections and designed a revealing new uniform for her.
• Starlight described her hopes of joining The Seven to save people, then drank until she fell asleep.
• Lucian carried Starlight to a motel and held her wrist to begin copying her light energy manipulation.
• Lucian waited through the night as the copying progress advanced to completion.
• Lucian acquired Starlight's LV4 light energy manipulation and sensed the current flowing through the motel's walls.

Starlight thanked Lucian for looking after her and returned to Vought Tower determined to face Madelyn about her costume. Later, Lucian kept his light manipulation secret and won a combat demonstration against junior Jason Walsh with his shockwaves.

• Starlight woke in a motel with her clothes intact and thanked Lucian for staying with her and warning her earlier.
• Starlight decided to face Madelyn about her new costume, gave Lucian her private number, and left for Vought Tower.
• Lucian tested his light energy manipulation, then planned to conceal it because Vought could connect it to Starlight.
• At Godolkin University's combat demonstration, Lucian fought junior Jason Walsh and used two shockwaves to send him out of bounds.
• The teaching assistant declared Lucian the winner, silencing the students who had laughed at him.

Lucian impressed the observers at a combat demonstration and was summoned to Professor Richard Brink’s office. Brink saw commercial potential in Lucian’s strength and background, then invited him to join the Crimefighting College under his personal mentorship.

• Lucian defeated Walsh in the combat demonstration and caught the attention of the university’s observers.
• A teaching assistant brought Lucian to Professor Richard Brink’s office.
• Brink reviewed Lucian’s footage and file, speculating that Lucian’s strength was growing and that he could become a profitable star.
• Lucian claimed that better food and training had made him stronger since arriving at Godolkin University.
• Brink offered Lucian admission to the Crimefighting College and promised to mentor him personally.

Lucian signed Brink’s predatory private contract and used the training and database access Brink provided to copy more abilities. Meanwhile, Deep searched New York Bay for Translucent’s tracking chip as Vought focused on a PR crisis involving Starlight.

• Brink offered Lucian a private twenty-year agreement giving Brink ninety percent of his earnings, and Lucian signed while secretly planning to exploit Brink’s resources.
• During a week of training, Lucian copied Marcus’s Partial Metallization ability and gained access to the Crimefighting College’s internal database.
• Deep searched a polluted outlet in New York Bay for Translucent’s tracking chip but found no sign of it.
• Deep saw that Vought’s attention was on the online backlash over Starlight’s use of force, leaving Translucent’s fate a low priority.

Butcher tried to recruit Mother’s Milk after revealing that he and Hughie had killed Translucent, but Mother’s Milk refused. At Godolkin, Lucian searched for the Woods facility, rose to thirteenth in the campus rankings, and considered how to get close to Cate Dunlap and copy her power.

• Butcher confronted Mother’s Milk outside the detention center and told him that he and Hughie had killed Translucent.
• Mother’s Milk refused to rejoin Butcher’s plans, citing his wife, daughter, and new job, while Butcher insisted he would return.
• Lucian used his high-level access to search Godolkin’s records and found an encrypted file for Codename: Woods marked with the keyword “behavioral correction.”
• Lucian defeated the electrically powered mohawked student in tactical training, bringing his campus ranking to thirteenth.
• Luke praised Lucian’s progress and suggested he could soon enter the top ten.
• Lucian watched Cate Dunlap and considered how to earn her willing, prolonged skin contact so he could copy her mind-control power.

Lucian warned Starlight to keep a low profile while tracking Deep’s movements, then watched Cate leave as the game entered a new phase. Butcher contacted Lucian to ask him to use Godolkin’s resources to find A-Train’s secret girlfriend and help prove A-Train was using drugs.

• Lucian messaged Starlight, learned that Vought had pressured her to wear a revealing uniform, and warned her to stay unnoticed.
• Starlight told Lucian that Deep had been busy and questioned whether Lucian was truly an ordinary Godolkin student.
• Lucian watched Andre and Luke leave together and Cate depart alone, then reflected that the game was entering its next phase.
• Butcher showed Hughie surveillance footage of A-Train killing Robin and told him that A-Train was using drugs.
• Butcher called Lucian and asked him to search Godolkin’s files or gather leads on A-Train’s secret girlfriend.

Lucian refused Butcher’s request to investigate A-Train’s girlfriend, letting Hughie believe he was pursuing a dangerous plan to infiltrate Vought. At Godolkin University, Lucian approached Cate Dunlap and deliberately unsettled her by reading her behavior and mentioning her gloves, then took her dropped book as a reason to speak with her again.

• Lucian refused Butcher’s request to investigate a member of The Seven’s secret girlfriend and said he was focused on infiltrating Vought.
• Butcher smashed his phone and accused Lucian of choosing Vought over the Boys.
• Hughie defended Lucian, claiming he was secretly working to help them from inside Vought, and Butcher warned Hughie not to trust him blindly.
• Lucian approached Cate Dunlap at Godolkin University and discussed her psychology book and her guarded behavior.
• Cate fled after Lucian commented on her leather gloves, and Lucian picked up her book to create an excuse to approach her again.

Lucian tried to draw Cate out of her fear of her mind-control ability and left her with a book on behavior control. Outside the abandoned gym, Luke confronted him about what he had done to Cate.

• Lucian decided he needed Cate's mind-control ability to gain access to the Woods and strengthen his own powers.
• Lucian found Cate hiding in the old South Campus gym and returned The Subconscious and Behavior Control, challenging her to face her ability and her fear of it.
• Cate threatened Lucian but could not bring herself to remove her glove or harm him.
• Lucian told Cate her parents had taught her to fear herself, then urged her to seek him out if she wanted to control her ability.
• Luke confronted Lucian outside the gym and demanded to know what he had done to Cate.

Lucian defeated Luke in the abandoned gym by enduring his attacks and using a light blast and Mind Control to knock him unconscious. Cate witnessed the fight and confronted Lucian, asking why someone so powerful had hidden his abilities.

• Luke confronted Lucian and demanded he apologize to Cate and leave South Campus.
• Luke attacked Lucian with his strength and flames, but Lucian's Carbon Skin protected him from serious injury.
• Lucian blinded Luke with a light-energy blast and struck him with a metallized fist, sending him crashing into the stands.
• Luke tried to fly away, but Lucian grabbed him, used Mind Control to stop him, and knocked him unconscious in the basketball court.
• Cate emerged from the shadows after watching the fight and asked Lucian who he was and why he had hidden his power.

Lucian confided in Cate about his past and comforted her over her dangerous ability, and the two kissed. When he asked her to use her power to protect him from Vought, Cate overcame her fears and altered Luke’s memories, leaving her and Lucian accomplices.

• Lucian explained to Cate that Vought would treat him as a product and shared that he had grown up in an orphanage for abandoned test subjects.
• Cate told Lucian how her ability had made her brother disappear and how her parents had treated her like a monster.
• Lucian reassured Cate that her guilt showed her humanity, and they kissed.
• Cate warned Lucian that Vought would come after him if Luke told Professor Brink what had happened.
• Lucian asked Cate to make Luke forget their fight, and she overcame her fear and implanted a false memory of an accidental training-room explosion.
• Lucian helped Cate put her glove back on and told her they were accomplices.

Lucian copied Luke’s Thermonuclear Manipulation and waited for it to integrate while Butcher’s team watched Popclaw under the influence of compound V. After Popclaw accidentally killed her landlord, Butcher gained footage he could use to pressure her into revealing A-Train’s secrets.

• Lucian reinforced Cate’s suggestion that Luke sleep until sunrise, then chose to copy Luke’s Thermonuclear Manipulation.
• Butcher, Mother’s Milk, Frenchie, and Hughie watched Popclaw’s apartment through a hidden camera and discussed the spread of compound V.
• Popclaw, agitated by compound V, pulled her landlord inside and began a sexual encounter with him.
• Popclaw lost control of her strength and crushed the landlord’s head, then screamed when she saw what she had done.
• Frenchie confirmed he had recorded the killing, and Butcher decided to use the footage to make Popclaw talk about A-Train’s secrets.

Homelander took control of the investigation after Deep recovered Translucent’s remains in a zinc case marked with a threat. Meanwhile, Lucian copied Luke’s Thermonuclear Manipulation, and the new power began charging his system, bringing him closer to Myriad Worlds Traversal.

• Deep found a zinc case containing Translucent’s remains beneath a bridge pier in the Hudson River and brought it to Vought Tower.
• Homelander showed Madelyn the remains and the warning written inside the case, then refused her plan to suppress the discovery and claimed the investigation for himself.
• Lucian woke in the gymnasium with Thermonuclear Manipulation (LV4) copied and permanently retained from Luke.
• Lucian tested his control of high-temperature flames and realized his body could generate its own thermonuclear energy and use it for flight.
• The system began charging at 0.5% using energy from Lucian’s new power, and Lucian decided to move the sleeping Luke to an empty training room.

Lucian tested his Thermonuclear Flight, learned to control it, and decided to use his power to pursue a place in The Seven. After considering how Vought might conceal Translucent’s death, he planned to watch for Doppelganger at Translucent’s public appearances, but needed help accessing the schedule.

• Lucian carried the unconscious Luke to Combined Training Room 3 and left him there in borrowed clothes.
• Lucian tested Thermonuclear Flight at a construction site, crashed during his first attempt, then hovered steadily and flew through the clouds.
• Lucian cut his flames and fell before reigniting them near the ground and landing safely.
• Lucian decided that joining The Seven and creating an opening in its ranks could advance his plans.
• Lucian reasoned that Vought would use Doppelganger to impersonate Translucent and resolved to monitor Translucent’s public appearances for a chance to find him.
• Lucian realized he needed someone with access to The Seven’s commercial schedule.

Lucian persuaded Annie to check Translucent’s public schedule in exchange for meeting her at Central Park, where she wanted someone she could talk to normally. He planned to use the schedule to find Doppelganger, while Vought’s cover story about Translucent’s absence was already underway.

• Lucian texted Annie, claiming his roommate wanted to know about Translucent’s upcoming appearances, and Annie teased him for bragging that he knew her.
• Annie agreed to check Translucent’s schedule and asked Lucian to meet her; she vented about Vought’s costume demands and the forty-seven-million-dollar penalty for refusing.
• Lucian agreed to meet Annie on Saturday afternoon in Central Park, and Annie warned him never to sign any Vought documents.
• Lucian considered using Translucent’s schedule to find Doppelganger and acquire his ability, while noting that his System Panel’s charge had reached 0.6%.
• Lucian saw a report that Vought had explained Translucent’s absence from a charity gala as a highly classified mission, and he expected Doppelganger to appear as his stand-in.
• Annie asked whether Lucian had really smiled when he took her call, and Lucian locked his phone without answering.

Lucian learned tracking skills in class, then spotted an opportunity to target Mercy Hospital while Homelander and Queen Maeve were away responding to Flight 37’s hijacking. After disguising himself, he flew to the hospital and approached it.

• Lucian attended a lecture on tracking and countertracking while Cate watched him and thought about their shared secret.
• Lucian and Cate had lunch together, joking about Luke, until news broke that Flight 37 had disappeared over the Atlantic and might have been hijacked.
• Lucian recognized the rescue as the operation Homelander and Queen Maeve would mishandle, leaving New York less defended, and decided to go to Mercy Hospital.
• Lucian left Cate, changed into a hoodie and surgical mask in a back alley, then flew to the hospital.
• Lucian landed on a rooftop across from Mercy Hospital, suppressed his energy, and headed toward the hospital.

Lucian broke into Mercy Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, found babies with heat vision and super speed, and stole four infants along with Compound V. He fled to a forest north of New York and began copying the heat vision, planning to care for the babies until he could acquire Doppelganger’s ability.

• Lucian entered Mercy Hospital, disabled the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit’s security, and searched the incubators for useful superpowers.
• Lucian found a baby with LV4 heat vision and another with LV3 super speed, then took Compound V from a medical refrigerator.
• Lucian hypnotized four babies, bundled them together, disabled the corridor’s electronics, and escaped the hospital by flying away.
• Lucian landed in a forest north of New York and began copying the heat vision from the baby he had selected.
• Lucian planned to give Hughie and the others Compound V, contact Kimiko, and look after the babies until he obtained Doppelganger’s ability.

Lucian acquired heat vision, super speed, and body enhancement, then hid the four babies in an abandoned cabin. He told Hughie that Compound V gave ordinary people superpowers and arranged to meet him and Butcher alone, while deciding to keep his distance from the rest of the team.

• Lucian copied LV4 heat vision and LV3 super speed, then added LV2 body enhancement.
• Lucian tested his heat vision by cutting a circle through a boulder and tested his super speed by racing nearly a kilometer through the forest.
• Lucian found an abandoned cabin and laid the four sleeping babies on an old mattress inside.
• Lucian called Hughie and revealed that Compound V gave ordinary people superpowers and had created every Vought superhero.
• Lucian told Hughie to bring Butcher to his location alone, and Hughie agreed to meet him after Butcher returned.

Hughie told Butcher that Lucian had revealed Compound V gave ordinary people superpowers, and the two set out to meet him. Before they arrived, Lucian secretly entered their warehouse, manipulated Kimiko and altered Frenchie’s and Mother's Milk’s memories, then prepared a motel room for Kimiko and returned to wait for Butcher and Hughie.

• Hughie told Butcher that Lucian had Compound V and said it created superheroes, persuading Butcher to meet with Lucian alone with him.
• Hughie texted Lucian that they were on their way, and Lucian flew to the underground warehouse before they arrived.
• Lucian knocked out Mother's Milk and Frenchie, then implanted a subconscious message in Kimiko directing her to a motel in Queens with information about her brother Kenji.
• Lucian copied neither Frenchie's nor Kimiko’s powers, but erased and replaced Frenchie’s memories and altered Mother's Milk’s recollection of the encounter with Translucent.
• Lucian rented a motel room on Locke Street, Queens, installed concealed cameras, and returned to the woods to await Butcher and Hughie.

Lucian captured Butcher and Hughie, altered their memories, and made Hughie believe Lucian was his sole contact inside Vought. Hughie left with the compound V samples, while Lucian watched the plan take hold and headed toward town to begin working on Vought.

• Lucian tracked Butcher and Hughie to the woods, knocked them unconscious, and brought them to the cabin.
• Lucian implanted Hughie with a memory of becoming his lone inside source at Vought and gave him the compound V samples.
• Butcher woke in the Chevrolet, checked his belongings, and went into the woods to find Hughie.
• Hughie refused to take Butcher to meet Lucian, insisting he had promised to come alone.
• Butcher returned to the car with Hughie carrying the samples, while Lucian watched from a ridge and flew toward the nearest town.

Lucian settled the four rescued Supe babies in his motel room and planned to take A-Train’s place in the Seven by copying his speed. After Annie moved their meeting in Central Park to one o’clock, Lucian put the babies back to sleep and left to meet her.

• Lucian bought formula, diapers, bottles, wipes, and clothes, then brought the four babies to his motel room in Queens and cared for them.
• Lucian decided to target A-Train’s position in the Seven, planning to copy his speed after A-Train’s leg was broken and then challenge Golden Boy.
• Lucian set an alarm and fell asleep after arranging to meet Annie in Central Park at two o’clock.
• Annie called Lucian at 10:03 a.m. and moved their meeting to one o’clock.
• Lucian fed and changed the babies, used basic hypnosis to put them back to sleep, checked the surveillance cameras, and prepared to leave.