Chapter 78 : Broken Legs
Mark crouched in front of A-Train, who was breathing heavily as blood pooled beneath his shattered leg.
"Nice seeing you again. You remember me this time?"
A-Train looked up through gritted teeth. "Who the fuck are you suppo—"
He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened.
"...You."
A faint smile crossed Mark’s face. "There you go. I was wondering when it’d click." He tilted his head.
"You remember the convenience store? You ended up buried under half the building. The news came up with a fancy name after that."
"The Devil."
A-Train tried to push himself upright. The broken leg gave out immediately. He slammed a fist against the floor with a pained groan.
"You caused all this."
Mark shook his head. "You keep saying that because it’s easier than admitting the truth."
His voice stayed calm, almost conversational.
"You ran through Robin because you were high. You threatened Hughie because you didn’t want anyone finding out."
"You dragged Popclaw deeper into your mess, and when Homelander found out she knew too much, she paid for it."
He looked him straight in the eye. "Every time something went wrong, you found someone else to blame. You blamed Hughie. Now you’re blaming me."
A small shrug. "The only person who put you here is you. If you hadn’t killed Robin, Hughie would’ve gone home that day and never learned your name."
"If you hadn’t covered it up, none of this follows. You made one bad choice after another, and now they’ve caught up with you."
A-Train gritted his teeth. "You don’t get to act like you’re better than me." He nodded toward Kimiko. "You remember what she is? How many people she’s killed?"
Mark looked at him for a moment, then stepped forward and slapped him across the face.
"Every time something goes wrong, you find someone else to blame. Robin, Popclaw, now Kimiko." He shook his head. "You never stop to think that maybe you’re the reason your life’s fallen apart."
A-Train said nothing.
Mark turned to Kimiko. "You’ve got every reason to hate this guy. If you want revenge, I’m not going to stop you."
Kimiko looked down at A-Train.
Without a word, she smiled.
She lifted the iron rod and drove it through his other leg.
A-Train’s scream echoed through the house. She pulled the rod free and brought it down again and again until both legs were nothing more than mangled flesh and broken bone. Only then did she stop.
The room fell silent except for A-Train’s ragged breathing.
Mark watched for a moment before exhaling. "I guess you haven’t lost that violent side."
Kimiko turned toward him with a small smile, tilting her head as though asking a question.
Mark smiled and nodded. "Yeah. You did good."
He looked down at A-Train. Even he had to admit the sight made his stomach turn. After a few seconds he took out his phone.
"We should call an ambulance."
Kimiko looked at him curiously.
"He needs to live," Mark said quietly. "Dying here would be easy. Living with what he’s done is the harder part."
He dialed emergency services, keeping his eyes on A-Train to make sure he didn’t bleed out before help arrived.
***
When Mark returned to the hideout, the atmosphere was completely different.
"Everyone’s family alright?" he asked.
M.M. nodded, though he didn’t look relieved. "They’re safe. Raynor came through, but they’re in protective custody now." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I dragged them into this. That’s the part I can’t get over."
Nobody had an answer to that.
Mark looked at Kimiko, trying to lighten the mood. "Well. A-Train’s career is pretty much over."
Kimiko gave a satisfied nod. The others barely reacted. Hughie was still thinking about his father. M.M. couldn’t stop thinking about his family.
Frenchie picked up the remote and switched on the television.
Breaking news.
A reporter stood outside Vought Tower as emergency vehicles blocked the entrance. "Madelyn Stillwell, Senior Vice President of Hero Management at Vought International, was pronounced dead earlier today after an apparent fall from her office window."
The broadcast cut to footage of police surrounding the building while employees were escorted out.
"Authorities are treating the death as a suspected suicide. The investigation is ongoing." Another reporter appeared.
"Stillwell’s death comes less than twenty-four hours after Congress announced a formal investigation into Vought over Compound V. Investigators are expected to examine whether her death has any connection to the ongoing inquiry."
Mark stared at the screen. "What the hell..."
He had expected Vought to fight back with lawyers and PR. He hadn’t expected this.
His phone rang. Unknown number.
He answered. "Hello?"
A familiar voice, calm and almost cheerful. "Hello, Mark."
Mark’s expression shifted. "Homelander."
"I’m glad you recognized my voice." A brief pause. "Would you be a dear and hand the phone to William? I know he’s standing right beside you."
The room went still.
Mark slowly looked toward Butcher. "You’ve been busy."
"I have," Homelander replied. "I know about your little team now, so there’s no point pretending." His tone stayed polite. "This conversation isn’t about you. It’s between William and me."
"Hand him the phone."
A/N : There will be Minor crossover and the next world is Jujutsu Kaisen
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👉 /Mark841
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