Chapter 9
"Who are you?"
Adam did not answer.
He stood in the middle of the empty yard with the rough zinc mask covering his face. Only his eyes were visible through the narrow gaps he had made in the metal.
Homelander waited for a few seconds.
When Adam still said nothing, surprise appeared on his face.
Adam stood without stepping back as Homelander watched him, refusing to raise his hands or prepare to run. Neither of them moved. Homelander hovered in the air, his cape rippling, while Adam kept his ground. Homelander's gaze locked onto the zinc mask, searching for any twitch of fear. But Adam remained steady, maintaining his balance.
Homelander floated closer, his cold gaze locked onto Adam.
Adam remained completely still.
The distance between them closed. Homelander tried to scan through the mask again, but the zinc blocked his sight. His expression hardened.
"Looks like you won't answer the easy way," Homelander said.
Red light flared in Homelander's eyes, but Adam saw it coming.
The moment Homelander released his laser vision, Adam used his own heat vision.
Two red beams shot from behind the narrow openings in the mask, colliding with Homelander's attack mid-air. The two beams met and pushed against each other, locked in a fierce deadlock as the point of collision trembled under the pressure. Homelander thrust his head forward, increasing the force to push the crimson beam back. Adam felt the kinetic strain on his posture, the raw pressure pressing down. He drove his right foot backward to gain leverage, anchoring himself against the ground. Gritting his teeth, he counter-pushed with a surge of energy, stopping the red light. Homelander snarled, stepping forward to grind him down, but Adam held the force with equal, stubborn pressure, refusing to yield a single inch.
Behind a concrete structure at the edge of the yard, Butcher watched the clash. His eyes widened when the beams came from Adam's mask.
The strength Adam had shown inside the hideout was already enough to prove he was not normal. Now he was using the same kind of power as Homelander.
Butcher watched from the edge of the concrete. He quickly calculated the power dynamics: if Adam could hold Homelander for even a few minutes, it would give Hughie enough time to deal with Translucent and escape. But if Adam failed, they were all dead. Every second Adam bought was a second closer to their survival.
For several seconds, neither beam moved far.
Heat flared behind Adam's eyes, a sharp sting warning him of his limit. His synchronization had reached ten percent, making his heat vision stronger, but he could not sustain it.
Homelander relented first, the light vanishing from his eyes. Adam cut his own beam, masking his burning glare under the zinc mask.
Homelander stared at him, shock turning to anger. For the first time since landing, he looked less certain.
"Who are you?" he asked again.
Adam smiled under the zinc mask. Homelander could not see that smile, only Adam's eyes looking back without fear.
Adam pushed his strength into his legs, cracking the concrete under his feet. To Homelander, Adam seemed to disappear. In the next instant, he was directly in front of him.
Homelander's eyes widened in surprise, but the speed left him no time to react before Adam pulled his fist back.
Adam knew he could not win a direct fight yet—not with his power still growing. But he did not need to win; he only needed to pull Homelander away from the hideout.
With that single focus, Adam drove his fist into Homelander's face. The punch connected with a thunderous crack, the sheer impact sending a shockwave through the air that shook the yard. The kinetic energy transferred instantly, snapping Homelander's head back.
Homelander was thrown backward, launched into the air. He hurtled across the empty space and slammed into the brick facade of a nearby warehouse. The first wall shattered under the impact. He plowed through the building and crashed through the second wall into the alley. The momentum carried him through the concrete support of a third building and finally through a fourth brick wall, disappearing inside.
Butcher braced himself against the concrete, staring at the wide path of destruction. His jaw dropped as he processed the sheer violence of the blow. The calculations in his head shifted rapidly; he had never seen anyone hit Homelander like that, let alone send him flying through four buildings.
Adam did not wait for Homelander to recover. He feinted toward the ruins, then pivoted and bolted into the city.
Adam relied on his agility, sprinting into the alleyways to break line of sight. He leaped over obstacles, vaulting a high chain-link fence. Landing in a slide on the asphalt, he pivoted around a sharp corner. He kicked off a brick wall to build momentum, changing direction to weave through the alleys. He kept his pace high, vaulting over low barriers and sliding under metal gates to confuse Homelander's pursuit.
Behind him, the damaged building shook as Homelander burst from the brick ruins. Snarling at the empty street, he took to the sky and streaked toward the city.
Homelander descended rapidly, scanning the maze of alleys below. He smashed through a metal fire escape as he pursued Adam, sending debris raining down. The falling iron structure forced Adam to change direction and roll under the falling metal. Adam scrambled up and accelerated, vaulting a low barrier just as Homelander crashed into the asphalt behind him, cracking the ground.
Butcher waited until Homelander had flown away before leaving his cover. He turned and ran back toward the hideout, his mind racing with new possibilities.
He entered the basement and froze. The cage was open.
Hughie stood inside, drenched in blood, surrounded by Translucent's remains. The detonator slipped from his trembling hand, clattering against the concrete floor. Hughie stared blankly, paralyzed.
A moment later, Frenchie ran back inside after trying to decoy Homelander. He stumbled on the stairs, catching himself against the wall as he rushed into the room. He stopped, staring in shock at Hughie. Frenchie grabbed Hughie's shoulders and shook him, quickly checking his pulse.
"He is breathing, but look at this mess! It is all over the walls," Frenchie yelled, gesturing wildly. "We cannot leave this evidence!" Butcher stepped forward, scanning the room.