What happens when a speeding car hits a pedestrian? It sends them flying.
But what happens when a speedster—one known for superhuman velocity—crashes into an ordinary person?
In the video from the future, the answer was all too clear.
One second, an innocent girl was perfectly fine.
The next, she was gone—like a balloon filled with blood suddenly bursting, her shredded remains splattered all over the street...
"No... No!"
Outside the screen, Hughie collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Watching this video was like reliving that nightmare all over again.
Annie covered her mouth, unable to watch. She murmured, "That's... that's horrific…"
She had already heard from Hughie how brutal his girlfriend's death had been, but seeing it with her own eyes, in slow motion no less—the visceral shock was overwhelming.
Deadpool struck the same hand-over-mouth pose as Annie. "Whoa! You guys can actually show this kinda thing? Isn't this gonna traumatize the kids? Ha! Yup, confirmed—your world's content rating system is even looser than mine!"
Thor frowned. "That speed... a knockoff Quicksilver? Or a bootleg Flash?"
Billy Butcher stood with arms crossed, his tone ice cold. "There's your proof, Annie. Take a good look."
He sneered. "I hope the whole bloody world sees it. Let them all see exactly what kind of monsters Vought's 'heroes' really are!"
---
Back at Vought, chaos had fully erupted.
When the so-called "Quiz Game" first started, the company hadn't taken it seriously. They even thought it was a golden PR opportunity to promote their superheroes.
Their official narrative was that the sudden appearance of these light screens was some terrorist conspiracy meant to destabilize global order.
They dispatched all Seven members to investigate—to break the screens or locate the mastermind behind them.
Of course, none of that worked. The screens were untouchable. Every known physical law failed to affect them.
Homelander even flew into space and saw the screens floating out there too.
That's when reality hit Vought like a truck: this wasn't some PR stunt or hoax.
The force behind the screens could operate freely throughout the entire universe—far beyond anything they had anticipated.
Aside from Homelander, who remained arrogantly confident as ever, most of the other Supes and Vought's execs were growing increasingly terrified.
What they originally dismissed as a joke—a scrappy little wolf in a cheap costume—was suddenly baring its fangs, revealing itself to be a world-ending dragon.
Thankfully, the early videos had focused on Stephen and Thor. Not their world, not their problem. Whenever foreign governments sent inquiries, Vought simply stonewalled them and played dead.
But now? The screens had started showing their world.
Everyone—across Earth and beyond—had just watched A-Train splatter an innocent civilian at lightspeed.
And considering how recently A-Train had tried to "clear his name" in the media, the betrayal hit hard.
People felt lied to. Public trust in both A-Train and Vought was crumbling fast.
---
Inside the executive offices of Vought Tower, things were grim. Two senior executives and two members of the Seven—Homelander and A-Train—watched the sky-screen in tense silence.
Vice President Madelyn Stillwell hung up her phone and was the first to speak.
"This is bad. Really bad. Our stock is plummeting. Shareholders and board members are panicking. We need to act."
She turned to Ashley, the head of talent management, signaling her to come up with a plan.
Ashley tapped frantically on her tablet, frowning. "A-Train's approval ratings are falling faster than our stock. The PR disaster is massive. He's already made public statements, but…"
She hesitated, then continued, "What if we spin this as an alien invasion conspiracy? Say this entire quiz thing is some extraterrestrial plot to destabilize Earth."
She looked up. "We frame the Seven as Earth's first line of defense. These videos are deepfakes—alien propaganda!"
"Do we need to spin it?" Homelander interrupted coldly, glaring at A-Train. His voice was low and sharp.
"This is an alien plot! Ashley, organize a press conference. Immediately. The public deserves the truth!"
A-Train, sweating bullets, stammered nervously, "D-Do I... need to be there too?"
Homelander's eyes grew even colder. He opened his mouth, but Madelyn gently placed a hand on his arm to calm him.
"Let's not rush," she said gravely. "We've already had our fingers burned once. Remember?"
If the quiz game had exposed A-Train, who's to say it wouldn't expose the rest of the Seven? Or worse—Vought's own dirty laundry?
Another public blunder would only make things worse.
Besides, Vought didn't have the power to completely control the media narrative—not anymore.
Their influence over public opinion was always tied to the capital markets.
They had backing from major investors who saw Vought as a golden goose—so long as it kept laying eggs.
But if Vought stopped being profitable—or worse, became a liability—those same investors and politicians would abandon them in a heartbeat.
Madelyn understood this game. During her recent calls with the board and upper management, she'd already sensed the veiled threats.
Right now, all she could do was hope the quiz game wouldn't pull any more skeletons out of their closet.
But that hope was likely in vain.
---
Back on the screen, the video showed A-Train panicking after obliterating Hughie's girlfriend, Robin.
And yet, he never once said "I'm sorry."
All he did was repeat that he couldn't stop in time—like it was just some freak accident.
Hughie was shattered. One moment, he was holding the love of his life in his arms.
The next, all that remained were her hands—still mostly intact, the only pieces left.
Anyone would break after something like that.
He fell into despair. After Robin's funeral, he saw Vought's official response on TV.
A-Train gave a soulless statement, talking about chasing down a bank robber and blaming Robin and Hughie for standing "in the middle of the street."
No apology. No accountability.
That's when Hughie knew: all that talk of "regret" and "mourning" was just empty PR garbage.
__
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