Unfortunately for Ryan and his mother I've read the Evil Overlord List, and it was very clear about having children
To quote, 'I will not have a son. Although his laughably under-planned attempt to usurp power would easily fail, it would provide a fatal distraction at a crucial point in time, nor will I have a daughter. She would be as beautiful as she was evil, but one look at the hero's rugged countenance and she'd betray her own father.'
Sure, that rule doesn't specifically fit my current situation with Ryan but the point it was trying to make is that eventually my children will either join the side of the angels and try to overthrow me or usurp my reign in a futile bid for power.
And even me in my endless arrogance was genre savvy enough to recognize the possibility of it happening.
'It's such a shame' I thought as I took a bite out Becca's chocolate cake. 'Turning Ryan into a psychopath would have been a fun pet project, especially if I could let him loose on Butcher.'
The whimpers at the corner of the room where faint but to my enhanced ears they might as well have been as loud as a siren.
'I wonder what kind of a face he would have made when he realized who Ryan is?' I eagerly cleaned out my plate and when to cut out another slice out of the cake, 'Would he be furious that he got killed by my child or would he instead see Ryan as all that's left of Becca.'
I quickly sent a warning glance at the corner which instantly silenced the whimpers, but I knew that the moment I looked away they would return.
Children were annoying like that.
"You know…" I spoke out loud as I kept my eyes locked to the corner, "There's a still strong part of me that wants to keep you alive. Not out of some foolish familial attachment though because unlike the original I'm above such pointless things."
Ryan's whimpers started up again as tears ran down his face and mixed with Becca's blood which had stained his entire body from head to toe. The boy seemed to freeze whenever he locked eyes with me but that clearly didn't stop his incessant crying.
"I realized that it was just my narcissism speaking honestly, I wanted to see what you could do if you were molded in my image but in truth if you were made in my image, you probably would have ended up just as prideful and unbearable as me"
I stood up from my seat and slowly approached the shivering boy. My right glove was dripping with blood, it was stained from when I swiftly chopped off Becca's head the moment, she saw me enter the house with Ryan. I did find some amusement with how slow she was to process everything, by the time she went from confusion to shock her head was already detached.
"And I have no need for prideful tools."
That was all I had said before I quickly tore through Ryan's heart.
The moment the body dropped like a puppet with its strings severed I watched with bated breath as seconds went by.
After a minute of waiting, I let out a sigh of relief
'Thank god he didn't have a last-minute power-up' It wasn't like Ryan would harm me at his age even if he awakened his powers, but it would be an annoying inconvenience if Ryan got the cliché 'It's not your time yet' Trope.
As I stared at the body of my son with a hole through his chest, I couldn't help but think of the lonely nights I spend in that accursed lab. I remembered how I used to dream having a family what would tuck me in bed and reach me boring stories until I fell asleep. I could feel the longing when I had first approached Ryan and the grief when I had killed him.
'This is your doing,' I thought to myself, I knew this wasn't what I actually felt. I wasn't sad that I killed Ryan, if anything I was relieved, but I knew where this sadness came from.
It was him.
The original
I thought things were going to be simple when I reincarnated as Homelander but after that outburst with Vogelbaum I had realized that something was deeply wrong. I felt strongly about things I shouldn't. Whenever I think back to a memory, I find myself having emotions that are not my own.
For instance, whenever I thought back to Madelynn, I fell both disgusted and somewhat aroused. I can understand why I felt disgusted with her; I get second hand embarrassment whenever I remember the pathetic behavior my original self displayed around that woman.
But the lust?
That doesn't come from me. It comes from the experiences and emotions that created the original Homelander, the villain I loved and despised. The same villain that seems to reside in my subconscious.
'Just let go.' I though in agitation, 'You know that I'm the only one who can achieve this. There's a reason I'm the one in the driver's seat.'
Whether he took my words to heart I honestly didn't know, and I didn't care enough to find out. I just finished killing a child because he might present a hypothetical threat in the future. If I willing to go that far than getting rid of the entity living in my head is barely an inconvenience for me.
'Kate Duplin's powers would help but unfortunately I'm incapable of putting my trust in normal people let alone a fucking telepath, I might need to find another solution or at least get some insurance that Kate wouldn't fuck up my mind '
As I gazed down at the corpses of Ryan and Becca I began thinking about my next steps. Thanks to my enhanced senses I knew that the 'neighbors' were just Vought scientist that studied Ryan from a distance. I also knew that those very same neighbors began making frantic calls to their boss the moment I appeared, even now I could still see and hear the armored vehicles (that were interestingly lined with zinc) coming from a mile away.
"I did want a clean-up crew, so I suppose they'll suffice." I said as I picked up my son's still warm body. My paranoia wouldn't allow Ryan to end up in Vought's hands, dead or alive. With his genetic material Vought might still be able to cook something up. They created a clone of me in the comics so I didn't want to see what they could do with my son's body and enough motivation to see me dead so it's better to nip this in the bud right this instance.
"Where's the closest active volcano?" I asked myself as I stepped over Becca's body, "Or maybe a vat of acid? That should work on him, right? It's not like he's awakened his powers yet so he should still be human" I paused mid-step and spared a glance back to Becca's body, "If it's any consolation the cake was good, too bad Ryan didn't get to taste it."
Before you ask, yes, I did in fact eat all of Ryan's birthday cake right in front of him before plunging my hand through his chest.
And yes, I was proud of myself
________________________________________________________________________________________________
I didn't know where I was specifically in the timeline but considering how Maeve and I had broken up and Madelynn was in the early stages of her pregnancy. I would estimate that I had around a year or two before I reached season 1 Which wasn't nearly enough time for what I had planned but that doesn't mean I couldn't improvise.
For one, thanks to my inherited memories I knew that the original me has already started distributing Compound V to the varies 'Freedom Fighters' across the world.
This was another instance where I realized just how intelligent season 1 Homelander was.+ This man managed to create an efficient supply chain of compound V without Stan Edgar or Madelyn realizing what was going on. His entire operation was not only efficient but also extremely well thought out. The series would have you believe that Homelander used A-train to move Compound-V but that couldn't be further from the truth because that was pretty stupid.
A-train's speed allowed him to make fast deliveries but also brought a lot of attention because the last thing you need when secretly meeting with terrorists was a celebrity speedster that broke the sound barrier every time he moved and that's ignoring the fact that Vought put a tracker in A-train and most of their other supes
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had a middleman involved. An international arms dealer named Yuri Orlov who supplied pretty much every major terrorist organization in the world.
He even got himself an impressive moniker, 'The Lord of War'.
Whenever there's an armed conflict happening it was always safe to assume that the Lord of War was already supplying both sides.
"Yuri." I said getting straight to the point
"My good man. I'm happy to hear from you. I was quite concerned when you missed last week's shipment." I liked Yuri in all honesty, the guy was charismatic and knew when to shamelessly kiss ass
"I apologize for that Yuri. I was doing a bit of soul-searching, and I've come back a better man."
"So, business as usual than?" Yuri said with unhidden greed that I could practically feel through the call
"Yes, I have a plentiful harvest prepared for delivery." We had rules, never talk through phone because it could be monitored but if you absolutely needed to then at least avoid saying anything too incriminating.
The goal was to have as much plausible deniability as possible.
"It warms my heart that there are still charitable men like you in the world. These resources will go a long way to helping relief efforts around the world" In a twisted way Yuri wasn't lying, Compound V was in fact going to aid in relief efforts he just wasn't mentioning that it would be governments being relived from power.
"Please you flatter me too much, all of this wouldn't be possible without your help. In other news I quite happy to announce that we're going to be doubling the shipment for the foreseeable future." I needed those Supervillains as soon as fucking possible. If my mad plan were to come to fruition it could only be done through having a common enemy so powerful and dangerous that it could justify any perceived tyrannical action.
For my envisioned empire to rise I was forced to scurry around in the shadows like some rat working with the likes of Yuri which was equally an asset and a liability. On one hand I had a man who's in contact with the various insurgency groups I needed. Yuri also had the skills to transport Compound V discreetly and knew not to ask questions and just take his cut of the pay but on the other hand Yuri was way too high profile for my taste, every notable intelligence agency knew to be on the lookout for him and they were all just waiting for a slip up so they could catch him.
And if Yuri is caught then Compound V would be exposed and not only that but he knew about me, he'd seen my face.
I needed more tools, more proxies to act through, more middlemen to handling my dealings. I needed more of everything, and it frustrated me to no end.
But I'm getting ahead of myself
Rome wasn't built in a day and neither would my empire.
You can't rush art after all.
_________________________________________________________________________________
(POV: Queen Maeve)
"Is there something on my face Maeve?"
He actually had the audacity to looked confused, as if there was nothing wrong with this situation and that she was the one acting weird even though Maeve could name a hundred things currently wrong. For one…
"Fuck you?" She hissed as he walked around the gym.
He examined the room with mild curiosity as he completely ignored her hostility, "Nice to see you too."
He walked up to her weapons rack and picked up her main weapon, a short sword with a golden hilt and stared at it rather intensely
Maeve's eyes stayed focused on Homelander as he picked up her weapon. She wanted to move, to walk up to him and grab it out of his revolting hands and kick him out, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move. She froze at the very idea of coming anywhere close to him.
She remembered how he looked at her in the past and the disgusting way in which he touched her. She remembered the sleepless nights as she silently cried while he slept like a baby right next to her.
"Why a short sword?" He muttered as he played around with the weapon.
"What?" She asked in confusion.
Homelander looked back at her with those pale blue eyes and her mind flashed to the first time she saw them; she used to find them beautiful before she realized what sort of monster hid behind
Homelander clarified his question," Why did you choose a short sword? It never looked right in your hands, like you were one second away from snapping it in half if you weren't careful."
He walked up to her, and for a moment, her heartbeat skyrocketed in fright and judging from the knowing smile he sent her way Homelander definitely noticed. He always reveled in the fear he produced, he enjoyed how uncomfortable he made people, that's why she fought every instinct in her body to look him directly in the eyes to deny him the pleasure of watching her squirm.
He offered the blade, and she eagerly snatched it way.
Maeve briefly stared at the weapon with fondness, it aways seems to bring a strange sense of warmth and comfort "A short sword is the perfect accessory for someone like me. The company wanted me to carry something that can complement my warrior ecstatic while not being bulky and large, we didn't want it to draw eyes away from me."
The type of thing you can bring to photo shoots but can stash it away neatly as soon as its uses as finished
It was either this or a fucking dagger so of course she chose the more dignified one. Vought might have wanted to complete the warrior look with a weapon, but they didn't want to give her a weapon that scaled to her strength. The idea of her casually carrying great swords and giant war hammers might have been greatly appealing to her teenage self but Vought wanted a weapon with a more feminine touch, therefore the short sword.
At first, she hated the damn thing, whoever had designed this clearly didn't know anything weapons because the sword was completely unbalanced with a dull edge, but she actually grew fond of the thing as time passed mostly because of the little girls who cosplayed as her. She liked watching them swing their toy swords around with such joy and reckless abandon.
"With your strength I'm surprised you didn't want something that can actually do some damage."
"I wanted a large Warhammer or a great sword when I first started out, the type of bulky, unrealistic weapons you always see in fantasy settings. They always looked cool." She wanted to groan out loud in annoyance, why was she being so open with this asshole. She fucking hated him yet even now she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about him.
He felt different
More relaxed
More in control
"Hey," He spoke out bringing her back to reality. "Wanna spar?"
What
"What?"
He shrugged, "I'm bored so a figured why not." He ran his ran through his golden locks, "And let's be honest I doubt you're willing to miss out on the chance to attack me and get away with it."
He knew how I felt about him. All the unaddressed feelings of anger and resentment that have been bubbling just beneath the surface. Our relationship ended on a bad note and we both had an unspoken agreement to never talk about it, I understood why but that didn't mean I had to like it.
I didn't like any of it
The fact that he could get away with it all.
That he came out unscathed while I became such a mess.
He was right about the fact that I did want to fight him, I've always wanted to fight him. I just didn't have the courage to do it because I was a coward.
I wanted to fight for myself and what I stood for, but I wasn't willing to die for it.
"Do you even know how to fight?" It was a weak remark, my attempt to back out. I knew it was just me finding an excuse to not go through with it.
"A little, I used to fight grown Supes as a child" He admitted with ease, but his face momentarily darkened before that arrogance expression quickly returned.
You know what?
Fuck it, punching his annoyingly attractive face is the closest thing to therapy as I can get.
_________________________________________________________________________________
It was pretty clear that Maeve hated my guts.
Not that I was surprised. Our previous relationship was completely to blame for why she turned into such a boring cynic. My original self really sank his fangs deep into her and slowly poisoned the young idealist until she was just a jaded husk with a budding alcohol addiction.
It was kind of impressive in a fucked-up way.
The original had spared no expense in breaking her down only to rebuild her in his image, but I guess he wasn't as successful as he thought because Maeve eventually gained the courage to cause a fuss with Madelynn and Edgar until they intervened and ended the relationship. They didn't want the headache of the public realizing that the only female on the Seven and a beloved feminist was in an abusive relationship at the hands of the strongest Supe alive and their greatest asset.
Even a years later, Maeve was still resentful over what I had done to her so much so that she didn't bother to hide the pure glee on her face as she threw a barrage of attack at me.
I could have easily weathered them all head on, but that wasn't the purpose of this exercise. I needed to gain some combat experience no matter how small it may be, so I swiftly dodged them and sent a quick jab that lifted Maeve from the ground and sent her flying across the room till she made contact with the wall.
Oops
I knew I might as well be a god, but knowing you're the strongest and witnessing, the difference in power firsthand were two completely different things.
Was I really that strong?
"You still alive over there?" I asked with my unusual, charming smile.
Of course, I knew she was alive, I could see all her internal organs so besides a few bruises she was mostly fine. Though I would need to hold back quite a lot
Maeve stood up and dusted herself off before glaring at me
I chuckled, "Oh, this is going to be fun."
I rushed Maeve and threw a punch aimed directly at her face, but she ducked just in time, the force of my blow created a shockwave that shattered the wall behind her.
She retaliated with a swift uppercut, her fist connecting with my jaw. The impact sent me skidding backward, but I quickly recovered, my perpetual smile never faltering.
She charged forward taking advantage of the opening, leaping into the air with incredible agility. However I met her mid-air, and we collided with a thunderous crash. We exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks, each blow creating shockwaves that rippled throughout the arena.
I didn't know when, but I eventually stared laughing hysterically as I grabbed Maeve by the arm and hurled her across the room. She crashed into a reinforced wall, the impact leaving a massive dent. But she quickly got back on her feet, her eyes blazing with determination and anger.
She sprinted toward him at speeds that would have shocked other Supes and feinted a punch to my face, before delivering a powerful kick to his side, sending me flying into a nearby pillar. The structure crumbled under the force, but I emerged unscathed.
I flew at her with renewed intensity, my attacks becoming faster and harder. Maeve blocked and countered as best she could, but the sheer force of my blows began to wear her down. She was pushed back; her defenses were faltering under the relentless assault.
"Is this... all you've got?" Maeve said with a strained voice as she struggled to keep up
I gave what must have looked like a wicked grin, "Not even close."
I grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. Maeve struggled, her hands clawing at my arm, but she couldn't break free.
She desperately tried to stay awake as I added more pressure and threw a final punch before her body went limp
Letting go, I watched her body drop like a sack of potatoes.
The only reason I wanted to spar with Maeve wasn't because I thought I might get stronger or learn something insightful like some stupid Shonen. Maeve lacked the strength to push me to my limits so the next best thing would be to improve my technique.
She may not be as strong, but Maeve had me completely beat when it came to technical skill. She punished every opening I had, every mistake in my stance and countered every attack I threw.
Fun fact getting hit by a corkscrew punch threw by a Supe hurt way more than I expected.
If nothing else, it was useful in highlighting my flaws as a fighter. If I am to be perfect, then I need to fix these issues.
Plus, Maeve could be considered one of the top ten strongest in this universe so I wouldn't be opposed to recruiting her, but I can't do that if she's still bitter about the actions of another version of me that is also still technically me.
And if I can't recruit her.
well Ryan is a clear example of how I deal with possible threats.
Speaking of threats
"I wonder how Stan's doing?" I said to myself. Last thing I heard was that he had some business meeting in France. The lack of any concrete information concerning this 'meeting' was already setting off some warmings in my mind.
"And I was really looking forward to killing him" I knew I was just being petty but after spending years under that man's boot I was really eager to turn the tables
But that was for a later date, and I still needed to set up my final piece on the board.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
POV: The Legend
"What the hell are you doing here?" I growled as I aimed my gun
The boy scout gave a mirthful smile as he slouched on MY couch, "You know a lot of people always seem nervous in my presence. I can't tell if they're scared of me or they have something to hide, what do you think it is?"
"Who the fuck said I said I'm scared of you?"
"Your heartrate for one but I digress." He shrugged as his eyes wandered over to the wall on his right, "Huh? That's a pretty large amount of Sildenafil you're hoarding back there. Don't tell me you have trouble getting it up." He gave a mocking smile as he looked back to me. "Don't look too ashamed. This is just the unfortunate side effects of growing old."
I had to give him props; he was exceptionally good, far better than I expected. I didn't know if Stan or Madelyn had trained him, or he was just that smart, but he was a natural at this.
First, he shows up unannounced to put me off guard. Then he acts like he owns the place, and he finishes off it my pointing out my faults
These were all classic intimidation techniques used to create a power imbalance. He wants to subconsciously make me feel inferior to him.
Too bad that I've used similar tactics during my tenure at Vought, so they had no effect on me but still it was a very good.
I bellowed in laughter which caught him off guard "Go ahead fucking laugh, it will only make it all the better when you end up in my shoes."
"I would hope not, your shoe size is quite small after all," He snarked
"I mean that eventually you'll end up an old man left behind by the world," I dropped my gun and reached for the cigar on my table. I hastily lit it and took a big puff as I collapsed beside him.
The boy scout shifted slightly.
It was clear he was put off guard by my relaxed nature and close proximity to him.
"The world won't leave me behind old man, they can't get enough of me." He muttered his mood clearly subdued
"I told myself the exact same thing but that lie only lasts so long and eventually that bright flame you have will start to dim if not outright fade. The people will look for the best thing and unfortunately for me the next best thing ended being that bitch Stillwell."
His gaze turned to me with a hint of curiosity, "Oh really? Then what's the next best thing after Homelander?"
I released another puff of smoke before speaking, "I heard Godolkin's produced a promising one. Some old friends of mine are convinced he'll be immediately drafted upon graduating."
His eyes flashed with immediate recognition "Fucking Golden Boy?" He looked up and laughed. "That's the next best thing? Seriously?"
"I don't see why not, he's considered one most promising supes of his generation and his abilities seems to get stronger and stronger at a frankly abnormal rate. A supe's power is like a muscle, the more pressure you put it under the stronger it gets yet there's always a limit before the muscle snaps but for Golden Boy that limit doesn't seem to exist. The losers perpetually online think that he has no upper limit, which is stupid cause all powers have a ceiling"
He kept silent for an uncomfortably long time as he simply stared at me with equal parts confusion and…wonder? "You're more insightful than I gave you credit for old man."
Was it really that surprising? I've worked with Supes for most of my life so of course I knew a thing or two about their powers worked, "What the fuck did you expect?"
"I expected lecherous old man with nothing but stories of the good old days." He admitted with casual ease as he shrugged before continuing, "Or at least that's the version of you I'm most familiar with."
I let out a bellow of laughter, "If you want stories of the good old days, I have plenty to give." It felt fucking weird. This feeling of relaxation as I sat next to this abomination in human skin. "The things I've seen are out of this fucking world, kid. All the orgies, the conspiracies and cover ups its insane."
Maybe I should write a book about it?
"Maybe another time. This chat has been entertaining if nothing else." He said as he stood to leave. Looking back on it, I should have realized that he never told me why he visited in the first place, I got too carried away, too relaxed in his presence and I paid dearly.
Homelander stopped for a moment and looked down at me, "Although before I leave there is one story, I'm curious to hear about."
"Which one?"
His smile grew sharper, "Tell me more about the Boys"
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
"Is that a band of some shit? I don't keep up with what kids these days listen to" I didn't know how well I hide my nervousness, but I was certain there was nothing that could hide how my heart seemed to quicken.
He laughed, "I know you've worked with them in the past. You've leveraged your name and the reputation it carries to get them close to certain Supes while also acting as an informant so why don't we get a drink, and you can tell me all about it? Come on I know a great place."
My voice grew loud and more hostile as I stared back defiantly, "Listen I don't know what the fuck you are -"
Homelander sighed as he interrupted, "Do you really want to do this song and dance? I don't want to get blood on my suit and I certain don't want to resort to violence after our entertaining talk."
"So, tell me everything you know about the Boys more importantly though tell me anything that might point me to where Billy Butcher is currently hiding." His grin grew manic as it widened with unrestrained glee, "I've been dying to meet him and I'm sure he feels the same way."