On the video screen, Hughie and Annie were hitting it off more and more as they talked, their relationship progressing at lightning speed.
Off-screen, Deadpool whistled. "See? Out with the old, in with the new. Am I right, Hughie?"
Hughie kept a stiff face, unsure what expression was appropriate. Annie frowned and said, "shut up!"
Even as she said that, she couldn't help sneaking a couple more glances at Hughie. No wonder he looked familiar—so this is the kind of connection they'd end up having in the future.
They really were fated to meet.
To be fair, Hughie had that harmless kind of look that put people at ease.
Back in the video, after a surprisingly deep heart-to-heart with Annie, Hughie mustered the courage to approach Billy and offered to join his plan. This turn of events wasn't surprising to the audience outside the screen.
After all, if Hughie had just gone home and gone to sleep, how would the story move forward?
Billy's plan wasn't complicated, but for someone like Hughie—who'd spent over twenty years living cautiously, keeping his head down—it was still a huge step out of his comfort zone.
When the two arrived outside the Vought building, Hughie was visibly nervous. But after some "motivational" yelling from Billy, he strapped on the bug and began his first infiltration into Vought.
Following Billy's instructions, Hughie hid the tiny listening device inside his phone case and managed to pass through security without raising any alarms.
Soon, he arrived at the Seven's conference room—where he finally came face-to-face with the man who killed Robin: A-Train.
This time, A-Train actually apologized to his face. But the half-assed, impatient attitude made it crystal clear—he didn't mean a word of it. You could feel it through the screen.
Naturally, the impact on Hughie was even worse.
To him, A-Train was still drenched in blood, just like the day he ran through Robin. That image had become a waking nightmare, and seeing him up close again left Hughie gasping for breath, nearly on the verge of a panic attack.
The mood grew tense. Watching from outside the video, Hughie clenched his fists subconsciously and muttered, "I'm gonna screw this up…"
"Hey, man, have a little faith in yourself!" Billy barked. "Don't act like such a damn sissy! Look—you did it!"
Sure enough, back in the video, Hughie had calmed himself down. He even managed a smile and shook A-Train's hand, exchanging a few polite words, completing the task Billy had set for him.
A-Train didn't stick around, leaving in a huff. The PR folks then stepped in, trying to get Hughie to sign an NDA. But he hadn't planted the bug yet, so he couldn't just walk away.
He headed to the bathroom, sat on a toilet, and pulled out the listening device. But his nerves got the better of him—he fumbled, dropped it, and it bounced out of the stall.
To make things worse, someone walked into the bathroom.
And by some bizarre twist of fate, it was Annie—the same Annie he'd just bonded with so well.
Luckily, it was a false alarm. Annie just touched up her makeup and left. Once the coast was clear, Hughie quickly picked up the bug again...
Off-screen, Hughie let out a beaming smile. "I did it! I actually pulled it off!"
He was practically glowing as he turned to Annie. "If you'd just looked around a little more in the video, you might've noticed something was off!"
Annie didn't look amused. Brow furrowed, she said, "Did you forget there was someone else in that bathroom? A naked perv?"
Hughie's grin froze on his face. He'd gotten so caught up in the moment, he completely forgot—
Right. Translucent. The pervert who liked lurking in bathrooms.
"Uh... he can't be hanging around in there all the time, right?" Hughie forced a smile, still clinging to a bit of false hope.
Billy shot him a glance. "Think back to the title of this video."
"Right. Translucent's gonna come after me. He must've discovered the bug!"
Hughie's face dropped. The mission was a failure after all.
Sure enough, back in the video, after Hughie left the bathroom, Translucent de-cloaked and muttered, "What the hell is this crap?"
It seemed he hadn't quite figured out what the device was, and he didn't catch Hughie in the act.
Blissfully unaware, Hughie went on with the plan. During the NDA signing, he discreetly stuck the bug under the table, then took the hush money and left.
Back in the car with Billy, Hughie was practically bouncing as he recounted the whole adventure. Pulling off this covert operation gave him a rush—a sense of accomplishment and excitement.
Billy, on the other hand, remained calm and unbothered. He said a few dry words, then drove Hughie to his usual workplace, a digital electronics store.
Hughie blinked. "Why are we here?"
"It's your shift, isn't it?"
At that moment, Billy was the textbook definition of a scumbag—using Hughie for his own ends, then dumping him without a second thought.
Hughie had just gotten a taste of the thrill, hoping to stay in the action, and now he was getting smacked in the face with reality.
He didn't argue. He just quietly opened the car door and stepped out. But as he left, he pulled out the fat check Vought had given him—and ripped it to shreds right in front of Billy.
Clearly, he had some feelings bottled up.
That move actually caught Billy off guard a bit. For once, he gave a genuine compliment. "Hughie… you did good."
To be fair, Billy might act like a bastard—someone who uses people and tosses them aside—but pushing Hughie away was also his way of keeping him out of danger.
The problem was, neither of them realized the danger was already closing in.
After Billy left, Hughie stayed at the store, waiting out his shift. He looked completely out of it, numb and disappointed.
Once the boss clocked out, another "customer" showed up.
An invisible one.
Translucent had come for him.
He tossed the listening device onto the counter in front of Hughie. "You really thought I wouldn't know what this little toy is?"
Then he grabbed Hughie by the employee badge and slammed his head into the counter.
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T/N:
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