Chapter 6: [The Power Reveal: Hughie's Big (Accidental) Debut]
[System Message: Behold, the grand reveal! Brace for dramatic tension, shattered trust, and the inevitable "I told you so" from a perpetually stressed MM. Also, remember to look appropriately conflicted. It sells the narrative.]
"Oh, thanks for the acting notes, System. I'll make sure to emote profusely while simultaneously trying not to get my head laser-beamed off. It's a delicate balance, you know."
The V-baby lab was a nightmare. Fluorescent lights hummed, illuminating rows of crying, experimental infants. It smelled like antiseptic and despair, a truly delightful combination. For me, the New-Hue version, it was also a buffet. While the original Hughie-Prime part of my brain was screaming in horror at the sheer unethical depravity of it all, the System was practically purring in my mental ear. V, Hughie. Look at all that sweet, sweet V. Just begging to be liberated. For your survival, of course. Not because you're a power-hungry monster. Perish the thought.
Butcher, true to form, was in his element – disgusted, enraged, and ready to blow the whole thing wide open. MM was meticulously documenting everything, his face a mask of profound sadness. Frenchie, ever the pragmatist, was already eyeing the equipment for potential repurposing. And Kimiko, silent but deadly, was radiating an aura of barely contained rage. I, meanwhile, was trying to subtly snag a few vials from the lab's storage without anyone noticing. It was like trying to pickpocket a grizzly bear while it's busy mauling a salmon. Difficult, to say the least.
My Metabolic Acceleration (Lvl 2) was a quiet hum beneath my skin, a feeling of heightened alertness, of being a fraction of a second faster, sharper. My Carbon Skin (Lvl 3) gave me a subtle sense of density, like my skin was just a bit too thick for a casual knife poke. It wasn't a flashy power, not like super strength or flight, but it was mine. And it was growing. The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying.
"Alright, you wankers, that's enough gawking at the bloody baby factory," Butcher growled, pointing towards an exit. "Time to get this evidence out and blow Vought sky high."
Just as he spoke, alarms blared. Red lights flashed, casting the lab in an ominous glow. "Great. Just great," I muttered, resisting the urge to facepalm. "Because things weren't already stressful enough. Now we've got the Vought Rent-a-Cops on our tails."
[System Message: Hostile engagement imminent. Your skills are required. Remember, efficiency over elegance. Or, as Butcher would say, "Get the job done, you bloody wanker."]
"Oh, thank you for that charming reminder, System. My inner monologue is truly blessed by your presence."
Armed guards in black tactical gear burst through the doors, their weapons raised. "Freeze! Vought Enforcement!"
"Well, that's not ominous at all," I mumbled, instinctively ducking behind a heavy piece of lab equipment. My heart hammered against my ribs. This was it. The moment I either died or became a superhero (or, more accurately, an anti-supe supe).
Butcher immediately engaged, a whirlwind of profanity and fists. MM covered him, laying down suppressive fire with surprising accuracy. Frenchie and Kimiko, a lethal duo, moved with brutal efficiency. I, however, was still trying to be the civilian. The terrified, incompetent civilian. It was exhausting.
"Hughie! Get to the back! Find another way out!" MM yelled over the din of gunfire and shouts.
"Right! Civilian Hughie doing civilian things!" I shouted back, crawling on my hands and knees, trying to look as uncoordinated and pathetic as possible. But my mind was already racing, assessing the situation. If I could cause a distraction, clear a path…
A guard rounded the corner, his rifle leveled at me. My eyes widened. "Uh oh."
Time seemed to slow. My Metabolic Acceleration kicked in. I saw the muzzle flash, saw the bullet leaving the barrel, a tiny, metallic blur. My body reacted without conscious thought. I twisted, not a full dodge, but just enough. The bullet grazed my arm, a sharp, stinging pain, but didn't penetrate. My Carbon Skin, Lvl 3, held. It felt like a very hard punch, not a bullet wound.
"Holy—" I started, staring at the intact sleeve of my jacket, then at the bewildered guard. He'd clearly expected me to drop like a sack of potatoes.
Before he could react, I moved. Not with super speed, not with a heroic leap, but with a sudden, jerky, almost clumsy burst of accelerated motion. I slammed into him, low and hard, sending him stumbling. Then, using my Sound Manipulation (Lvl 1), I focused a low-frequency hum directly into his ear. It was subtle, barely audible to anyone else, but for him, it was like a sudden, unbearable migraine. He clutched his head, dropping his rifle with a grunt of pain.
"Sorry, not sorry!" I yelled, snatching his dropped rifle. It was heavy. And I had no idea how to use it. Great. Just great.
My brief triumph was short-lived. More guards poured in. I was trapped. And the team was getting overwhelmed. Butcher was taking too many hits. MM was pinned down. Kimiko was fighting valiantly but was outnumbered. This was bad. Really bad.
My gaze snapped to the V-vials I'd managed to pocket. The ones that would fill my meter. No time to be subtle. I pulled one out. This wasn't about power for power's sake now. It was about survival. About saving my (unwilling) teammates.
[System Message: Survival imperative. Immediate Compound V consumption authorized. No need for further justification. Your existence is its own justification.]
"You're a pragmatic bastard, System. I'll give you that."
With a grimace, I uncapped the vial and downed it. The taste was metallic, chemical, and strangely invigorating. A surge of energy coursed through me, like liquid lightning. My vision sharpened. My senses heightened. The noise of the fight seemed to slow down, break into individual components. Another vial. Another gulp. The meter filled, a triumphant mental chime ringing in my head.
BLOOD METER COMPLETE!
NEW POWER ACQUIRED:
Sound Manipulation (Lvl 1)
EXISTING POWER UPGRADED:
Metabolic Acceleration (Lvl 2)
Carbon Skin (Lvl 3)
BLOOD METER RESET: 0/400
Wait. Sound Manipulation (Lvl 1)? I already had that from the previous meter fill. System, you gave me a duplicate! What kind of shoddy programming is this?!
[System Message: Error detected. Redundant power assigned. Correcting. Please stand by.]
A brief, jarring sensation, like a corrupted file being rewritten in my brain.
[System Message: Error corrected. New Power Acquired: Kinetic Redirection (Lvl 1). Existing powers leveled up: Metabolic Acceleration (Lvl 3), Carbon Skin (Lvl 4). Sound Manipulation (Lvl 1) remains.]
"Oh, so now you're admitting to errors? That's just great. So I'm basically beta testing my own superpowers while trying to avoid getting killed by a psychotic supe. Peachy."
But the powers felt different. Stronger. My Carbon Skin felt like actual armor now, a protective layer that hummed with quiet energy. Metabolic Acceleration at Lvl 3 was no longer just a hum; it was a constant, low thrum, giving me truly enhanced speed and reflexes. And Kinetic Redirection… I felt a strange, intuitive understanding of force, of momentum. A subtle push and pull.
A guard charged me, swinging a stun baton. I instinctively raised my arm. Instead of feeling the impact directly, there was a subtle give, a slight shift, and the baton seemed to glance off me, deflected by an invisible force. The guard stumbled, off balance.
"Woah," I breathed, looking at my hand. "That was… new."
Butcher, seeing me engage, yelled, "Hughie! Get 'em off me, you wanker! What are you doing, standing there admiring your bloody manicure?!"
No time to explain. No time for subtlety. This was a full-blown reveal.
I sprinted, not with A-Train's impossible speed, but with a burst that was undeniably superhuman. I tackled a guard who was about to blindside Frenchie, sending him flying. Another guard leveled his weapon at MM. I focused, pushing with my mind, and a subtle wave of Kinetic Redirection slammed into him, knocking him off his feet.
"Hughie?! What the hell?!" MM yelled, staring at me, a mixture of shock and betrayal on his face.
"Later! Explanations later!" I shouted, deflecting a flurry of punches from a burly Vought enforcer. My Carbon Skin took the blows with minimal impact, a dull thud instead of bone-shattering pain.
I was fighting. Really fighting. And not just flailing. It felt… exhilarating. Terrifying, yes, but also a rush of adrenaline and competence I'd never known. The fan in me was screaming OH MY GOD I'M A SUPE! The Hughie-Prime was screaming OH MY GOD I'M A SUPE! THIS IS BAD! And the New-Hue was just focused on survival.
"You're a supe, Hughie?!" Butcher roared, suddenly beside me, his eyes wide with a dangerous mix of fury and disbelief. He had just dispatched two guards with brutal efficiency.
"It's a long story, Butcher! Started at Robin's death! Kind of a 'phoenix from the ashes' deal, but with more blood and awkwardness!" I shouted back, deflecting a punch from another guard with a subtle flick of my wrist, sending him spinning.
The fighting continued, a chaotic ballet of violence. I was a much more significant player now. My Metabolic Acceleration (Lvl 3) allowed me to weave through the chaos, moving faster than the guards could track. My Carbon Skin (Lvl 4) shrugged off blows and even a few stray bullets. My Kinetic Redirection (Lvl 1) was a game-changer, turning enemies' own momentum against them. And my Sound Manipulation (Lvl 1) could create localized deafening bursts, giving me openings.
We fought our way out of the lab, leaving a trail of unconscious Vought guards in our wake. We burst into the night, the alarms still blaring behind us. The air was cool, but the tension in our group was thicker than a brick.
Butcher stopped, spinning to face me, his face a thundercloud. "What the fuck, Hughie?! You're a bloody supe?! All this time?! You kept this from me?!"
MM stared at me, his face a mask of profound disappointment. "Hughie… how could you?"
Frenchie, however, looked at me with a mix of awe and scientific curiosity. "Magnifique! C'est… inattendu!"
Kimiko simply watched me, her gaze unreadable.
"Look, I… I didn't ask for this!" I stammered, feeling a wave of genuine guilt wash over me. The powers were great, but the cost, the look on MM's face, the betrayal in Butcher's eyes… it hurt. "It just… happened! After Robin!I got some powers " I gestured vaguely at my head. "It's complicated!"
Butcher took a step closer, his voice low and dangerous. "Complicated? You think this is bloody complicated, mate?! You know what I do to supes, don't you?!"
My Carbon Skin suddenly felt very, very thin. This was it. The reckoning. And Homelander was still out there. And my Blood Meter was now at 0/800. The hunt had to continue. Even if it cost me everything.