Chapter 47
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Butcher stood inside the hidden base with Adam, Hughie, M.M., and Frenchie facing him. Kimiko sat a short distance away with a sheet of paper in front of her.
She had been trying to tell Frenchie something for a long time. She wrote a word. Then she looked at him and placed another word beneath it. Each time he asked her to explain, she took the paper back and tried again.
Boy.
Then she added girl.
Frenchie looked at the page and rubbed his forehead. "I still don't understand, mon coeur. Are you telling me about a boy or a girl?"
Kimiko took the paper back and wrote boy again. She underlined it, then added girl beside it. Frenchie stared at the page, but the meaning stayed out of reach. He could see that the words mattered to her, yet he could not connect them to the Supe they were hunting. Kimiko tapped the paper with growing frustration, while Frenchie kept asking her to slow down.
Butcher ignored the exchange and looked at the others. He spoke as if the deal had already been settled. "Good news, boys. If we hand the Supe terrorist over to Mallory, the FBI will drop every charge against us."
M.M. gave a short laugh and leaned forward. "Then I suppose we have to get back to work."
Adam stayed quiet. He already knew Butcher was lying. The offer sounded too convenient, and Butcher had left out the part that actually mattered. Adam kept that thought to himself while the others focused on the task. Mallory had offered help in exchange for the Supe, but she had not promised that the FBI would erase their charges. Adam was not bothered by the lie. The team was moving toward the work he needed to do, and that was enough for him.
Hughie was not as calm. He had started to know Butcher well enough to recognize when something was missing from the story. The confidence in Butcher's voice sounded forced to him. He studied Butcher and stayed silent instead of challenging him.
On a boat, Gecko met Starlight away from the cameras. He kept checking the space around them before speaking. He did not look happy. He looked annoyed. He looked nervous as he handed her the pink bag.
Starlight opened it immediately. Inside was a sample of Compound V.
Her face brightened. She held the bag close, relieved that she finally had the sample. The relief lasted only until A-Train noticed it.
"Thank you," she said.
Gecko shook his head. "My part is finished. Do not come looking for me again." His voice held more anger than fear now, as if he wanted to end the conversation before she could ask him for anything else.
He turned away before she could answer and walked off.
Starlight watched him leave. She felt bad about what she had forced him to do, but she also knew why she had needed the sample. She had asked him because he was the one person inside Vought who could reach it, and that fact did not make the request feel any better. Without it, the truth about Vought would remain hidden.
A-Train had seen the bag.
He noticed the blue liquid before Starlight could close it. He looked from the sample to her and started walking toward her.
Starlight quickly turned and hid the bag behind her.
A-Train stopped in front of her. He looked at the bag before meeting her gaze. "Where did you get that Compound V?"
Starlight looked at him as if she had no idea what he meant. "What Compound V? What do you mean?" Starlight kept her tone steady, though her grip tightened around the hidden bag.
"I saw you hide it."
His eyes moved toward the bag. Sweat appeared on Starlight's skin, and she kept her arm behind her back.
"You are imagining things," she said. "I didn't hide anything."
A-Train pointed down. "It's in your shoe, so show me." His tone left no room for her to laugh the question away.
Starlight looked around. She had no other choice. She sat down. After opening her shoe, she held it up for him.
"Here. Look."
A-Train stared at it. There was nothing inside.
He struggled to understand what he was seeing.
Starlight put the shoe back on and glared at him. "Are you happy now? You were ready to make a girl take off her shoe because you suspected her. You should have hesitated before doing that."
A-Train opened his mouth to answer.
"What happened?" Stormfront asked from behind them.
A-Train looked toward Stormfront. Then he looked back at Starlight. He said nothing and walked away.
Stormfront watched him go. "It looks like he has a problem."\n\nStarlight stayed calm, but she could feel the sample hidden close to her. She did not want Stormfront to notice that anything had changed.
Starlight turned toward her. Stormfront had placed her bag down a short distance away. Now she picked it up and put it over her shoulder.
Starlight followed her.
"Stormfront, I liked what you said during the interview. Your answer to that reporter was great."
Stormfront glanced at her with suspicion. "Thank you, but I didn't do anything special."
"I'm serious," Starlight said. "You said what you wanted to say, even when everyone expected a safer answer."
Stormfront's eyes stayed on her for another second. Stormfront still looked suspicious, but she looked away.
"I have somewhere to be." Stormfront adjusted the strap and started toward the exit.
While Stormfront was looking away, Starlight quietly reached into the bag's pocket. Her fingers found the sample, and she pulled the Compound V out without making the bag move.
Stormfront adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "I'm in a hurry."
She left before Starlight could respond.
Starlight looked down at the bag in her hands. She waited until Stormfront was out of sight before checking that the sample was still safe.
"Adam, you're making me do a lot of work."
===== Upcoming Teasers =====
1. Chapter 48: Adam stops Butcher's shot as Kimiko finds someone from her past.
2. Chapter 49: Starlight turns A-Train's secret against him while Kimiko stops Kenji.
3. Chapter 50: The Compound V leak shakes Vought while Mallory sends the Boys toward a delivery point.
Read ahead on P@tr3on or K0‑fi "AlphaBoss169'' page and unlock +20 extra chapters.
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