(Logan POV)
The night had teeth. Wind howled around the cabin, rattling loose boards and carrying the scent of smoke from distant fires. Inside, the Boys gathered around Grace's war table. Maps, photos, and scribbled notes covered every inch. A single lantern swayed above, casting shadows like ghosts across tired faces.
Butcher stood at the head, dark eyes flicking between each of us. "This is our chance. Vought's moving Compound V tonight. We leak it, they burn. But we only get one shot."
Annie squeezed Hughie's hand, her jaw tight. Hughie looked pale but determined. MM stood near the door, gaze darting between his phone, photos of his daughter, and the snowstorm outside. Frenchie leaned against the fireplace, turning his lighter over and over, while Kimiko crouched on the windowsill, eyes sharp. Maggie stood beside me, arms crossed, every muscle ready.
Grace dropped a folder onto the table. "Intel says they're using the old meatpacking plant on the west side. Tight security. Stormfront may be on-site. Possibly Homelander."
Butcher's lip curled. "Then we kill two birds."
MM frowned. "We can't just waltz in. They've got sensors, cameras, men on every door."
Frenchie smirked. "That's why we brought the old wolf." His eyes flicked to me.
I let my claws slide out with a metallic snikt. "Doors are optional."
Annie stepped forward. "We do it fast. We get the drives, we leak the data. Anything else is suicide."
Maggie nodded. "We hit them first. Or they'll keep hitting us."
Grace studied us like a general counting soldiers. "Once you're in, there's no help coming."
Butcher looked around the table. "Any of you want out, now's the time."
Silence. Even Hughie stood firm.
We loaded into two vans. Snow spiraled in thick flakes under the headlights as MM drove. The road was black ice, the van rattling over potholes. In the back, Frenchie cleaned his pistol with deliberate calm. Kimiko wiped blood from a cut she hadn't even noticed. Hughie kept checking his phone. Annie finally took it from him, folding his hand in hers.
I watched the woods pass. Every shadow looked like Homelander's cape. Maggie's hand brushed mine. "You think he's out there?" she asked softly.
"He's always out there," I muttered.
The plant loomed ahead, rusting steel towers, windows aglow with sodium lights, guards in black tactical gear moving like clockwork. The cold stung as we stepped out, boots crunching frozen gravel.
MM's voice crackled in our earpieces. "Positions."
Frenchie and Kimiko melted into shadows. Annie and Hughie moved along the east wall. Maggie and I flanked the loading dock.
Inside the vans, Butcher's voice was a low growl. "Let's light the match."
A guard stepped around the corner, humming. He never finished the note. Maggie grabbed him by the collar, lifted him off his feet, and slammed him into a wall hard enough to crack concrete. I sliced the next man's rifle in half, claws flashing. We moved fast, clearing halls slick with melted snow.
Alarms started to whine. Red lights pulsed, sirens rising.
"Quiet's over," Frenchie hissed in comms. "Time for noise."
The door to the lab was thick steel. Maggie grabbed it by the hinges and tore it free, tossing it like scrap. Inside are tanks of liquid filled with bodies. Some were still. Some twitched. All bore Vought's mark.
Hughie stumbled, gagging. Annie caught him. "Eyes on the prize," she whispered.
Hughie wiped his mouth. "I'm in." He dove for a terminal, fingers flying over keys. "Just buy me a minute."
A roar split the hall as guards swarmed. MM fired from the catwalk, bullets flying. Kimiko dropped from the ceiling, knives flashing in a blur. Frenchie lobbed smoke grenades, the air filling with choking fog.
Stormfront floated in through a side door, eyes sparking. Her grin was wide and hateful. "You can't kill an idea."
I charged. She met me mid-air, lightning exploding around us. I slammed claws into her side. She screamed, throwing me through a tank. Fluid and glass rained down.
Maggie barreled into her, fists hammering. Stormfront caught Maggie's arm, but Maggie twisted, slamming an elbow into Stormfront's temple. They crashed into a wall, denting steel.
Kimiko leapt onto a guard's shoulders, twisting his head until his neck snapped. Frenchie shot another through the thigh, dropping him screaming. Annie lit up the dark with blasts of pure light, scattering men like leaves.
Hughie shouted over the comm: "Got it! All files copied!"
"Time to go!" Butcher barked. He covered the retreat with bursts from his rifle, each shot deliberate.
Maggie grabbed Stormfront by the throat, throwing her into a row of tanks. Stormfront staggered, eyes wide, blood at the corner of her mouth. "This isn't over," she spat.
"Good," Maggie growled.
I grabbed Hughie by the collar, hauling him to his feet. "Move, kid!"
We ran. Bullets punched into walls, sparks dancing. Kimiko and Frenchie cleared a path, MM providing overwatch. Outside, the vans waited with engines running.
We piled in, tires spinning on ice. MM floored it. Explosions blossomed behind us as charges Frenchie left behind tore the plant apart. Flames licked the night sky.
Hughie slumped beside Annie, clutching the drives. Butcher stared out the rear window, eyes hard. Maggie's hand found mine. Kimiko wiped blood from her face, silent but smiling.
I looked back at the burning ruin. Homelander hadn't shown. But he would. And next time, it would be worse.
Becca rocked Ryan before the fire. His eyes fluttered, his breathing slow. Butcher sat across from them, bottle in hand. He looked smaller than I'd ever seen him.
Annie paced, restless. Hughie read files off the drives, mouth set in a hard line. MM stared out the window. Frenchie and Kimiko shared a quiet moment in the kitchen.
Grace stood in the doorway. "Vought will hit back harder than ever."
Butcher raised his bottle. "Then we hit first."
Maggie leaned against me. "They'll come for him," she said, eyes on Ryan.
"Let them try," I rumbled.
Snow fell outside, silent and endless. I stepped onto the porch, breathing cold night air. Above, clouds parted just enough for moonlight to spill over the forest. I felt eyes in the sky, knew Homelander was watching.
But I didn't look away. Not tonight. Not ever.