Klee walked with her head down, stepping on her own shadow, her two pigtails swinging carefree. With every step, she added another little piece to her childhood.
But that little moment of peace did not last long before she bumped into Homelander's back.
"Ow, that hurt." Klee rubbed her forehead, grimacing in pain.
Homelander stood rooted to the spot as though his feet were filled with lead, staring ahead with a tense expression.
He used X-Ray Vision to look through the walls of Vought Tower and saw the chaos inside.
Soldier Boy stood in the ground-floor lobby, pointing furiously at a row of employees and berating them.
"For the last two hours, you've been coming up with new ways to stall. Every time I finish one shot, there are countless more waiting for me."
"Get Ashley down here! Was she the one who put you up to this?"
The more Soldier Boy spoke, the angrier he grew. He hurled his half-smoked cigarette to the floor, and when that failed to satisfy him, he stomped on it several times, making the floor tiles crack and split beneath his feet.
Homelander felt even guiltier.
Having Soldier Boy film more footage had actually been his idea. Ashley had merely carried it out.
The reason was simple enough. Soldier Boy had enormous commercial value, after all, but he would go months without making a single appearance.
Over time, this had produced the effect of scarcity marketing. Fans were already curious about this soldier from another era, and now he had gained an added air of mystery. The clamor for Soldier Boy kept growing.
It was no exaggeration to say that every appearance he made brought Vought immeasurable profits.
So Homelander had seized the opportunity, struck by inspiration, and told Ashley in advance to shoot