Chapter 15
Adam returned to the van with the rest of the team. Hughie came in after him. Butcher, M.M., and Frenchie also entered one by one, and the door closed behind them. The race was over, but none of them looked relaxed.
The monitor was still showing the feed from Popclaw's apartment. At first, Popclaw was alone. Then everyone saw what she was doing.
She was lifting heavy weights with a force that did not match her body. The metal moved up and down like it had become light in her hands. Her breathing was fast, and her face showed that her mood had gone bad after the race.
M.M. leaned closer to the screen. "Bloody hell."
Frenchie stared at the feed. "That is not normal exercise."
Hughie also looked shocked.
Adam knew this part. This was still following the original timeline. Popclaw had taken Compound V after A-Train broke his promise in front of the cameras. A-Train had said he was single. Popclaw had heard it, and now the drug was already inside her body.
Adam pointed at the screen. "I think she took Compound V."
Everyone looked at Adam first. Then they looked back at Popclaw.
After watching her for a few more seconds, none of them could deny it.
M.M. said, "Yeah. Looks like it."
Frenchie shook his head slowly. "She is playing with that much power while angry."
Butcher did not answer right away. He looked at Adam instead of the monitor. The question was clear on his face. He wanted to ask how much more Adam knew.
But Adam had already told him that he had said everything he knew, so Butcher held back and turned his eyes toward the screen again.
They watched in silence for a while. After some time, someone knocked at Popclaw's apartment door.
Popclaw stopped lifting the weight and looked toward the door. A man entered soon after. From the way he spoke and stood there, it was clear he was her landlord.
He had come there for rent.
Popclaw did not throw him out. Instead, she changed her tone and moved closer to him. The man forgot his anger fast. Popclaw kept talking to him, and soon both of them moved toward the bed.
Hughie turned his face away a little. M.M. kept his eyes on the screen. Frenchie stayed quiet.
Adam kept watching because he already knew what was coming. The moment happened suddenly. Popclaw lost control of her strength, and the landlord's body went still.
For a second, nobody in the van spoke.
On the screen, Popclaw realized what she had done. Her face changed completely. The anger and drugged confidence disappeared, and panic took their place.
Hughie whispered, "Oh my God."
M.M. swallowed and said, "She killed him."
Butcher's eyes narrowed. Adam spoke before anyone else could decide what to do.
"This is the right chance," he said. "We can get the Compound V and blackmail Popclaw for information."
Butcher turned away from the monitor. "Let's go."
Frenchie moved first. M.M. also got ready to leave. But before Adam could be included in that movement, he spoke again.
"I will stay here with Hughie."
Everyone stopped. Hughie looked at Adam in surprise.
M.M. looked from Adam to Butcher. Then he nodded once. "He's right. Adam and Hughie stay here, and we go."
Butcher stared at Adam for a second. Then he left without arguing.
The van became quieter after Butcher, M.M., and Frenchie went out. Adam sat near the monitor and kept watching the feed. He had stayed behind on purpose.
He knew what would happen once they reached Popclaw's place. Cameras in the building and nearby areas could catch faces. If The Boys were revealed later, Adam wanted his own face away from that part for now.
On the screen, Butcher reached Popclaw's apartment. Frenchie and M.M. were with him. Popclaw was still panicking when they entered. Butcher did not give her much time to recover. He showed her that they had the video and made it clear what would happen if she did not listen.
Popclaw tried to argue, but her voice kept shaking. Butcher pressed harder. He wanted information about Compound V. Adam watched from the van with Hughie beside him.
Then the scene changed.
Out at sea, The Deep was on patrol when he found several boxes floating in the water.
They were not far enough to stay lost forever. Adam had thrown them in different directions, but not so far that nobody could find them. He had wanted the boxes to be found.
The boxes were taken onto a boat. Homelander stood there when one of them was opened. Inside were the remains of Translucent.
But that was not the only thing inside. Homelander saw the mask and the copper pieces that Adam had left there. His face changed, and sweat appeared on his skin.
In the original timeline, the box had carried a message from The Boys. This time, the message was different. The mask and the copper were enough.
Homelander understood what it meant. The masked man who had punched him was connected to the people who killed Translucent.
He still did not know how many people were involved. He did not know whether the masked man had killed Translucent himself or only helped the others.
But Homelander remembered that punch and the force behind it.
He told himself that if he fought seriously, he could kill that man. He believed that. He had to believe that.
But the masked man had disappeared from his reach. Homelander had tried to find him and failed.
He also could not tell Vought openly that someone had challenged him and escaped. If he did that, the image of Homelander would crack.
So for now, he had to handle it quietly, even from the top people at Vought.
Homelander looked at The Deep.
"Remove these," he said, pointing toward the mask and copper pieces. "Keep only Translucent's body."
The Deep hesitated. "But why?"
Homelander slowly turned his face toward him. Red light began to gather in his eyes.
The Deep raised both hands. "Okay, fine. I'll do it."
The extra items were removed before anyone else arrived. Later, Madelyn Stillwell came to see what had been found.
Homelander showed her the box as if it only contained Translucent's remains.
When the truth inside the box became clear, everyone around them froze in shock.