[79] : Vought in Action
[A/N] Support & Read Up to 10 Advanced Chapters on Patreon!!
.....
Roger suspected that Dr. Vogelbaum had come to plead on behalf of Vought Corporation.
Or perhaps he intended to use Homelander's son as leverage against Roger.
But unexpectedly, Vogelbaum didn’t seem to have much loyalty to Vought. Looking at Roger, who appeared utterly indifferent to Homelander's son, Vogelbaum sighed and said:
"Vought is on the brink of collapse."
"Hmm?" Roger raised an eyebrow.
"The government is investigating Vought. If nothing unexpected happens, Vought won’t go down without a fight. They’ll surely deploy their superhuman members to attack the government... and when that happens, Becca and Ryan will become their trump card against you."
Dr. Vogelbaum spoke earnestly.
A smile formed on Roger's face as he replied to Vogelbaum, "But right now, Vought's trump card doesn’t work on me."
"It may not work on you, but it will matter to the Supes. If you truly care about the lives of people, as you’ve claimed to, if you're really the hero willing to fight for the world in times of crisis, then you won't just stand by and watch an innocent mother and child die."
"That’s why I’m here. I hope you can get them out of Vought."
"Ah, moral blackmail."
Roger looked at Vogelbaum with a meaningful gaze.
Vogelbaum stared back at Roger, sighed heavily, and stood up. He said, "It seems I was wrong about you. You may not be Homelander, but you're not the selfless hero either. I won’t come to you again. Goodbye."
Vogelbaum could see that Roger genuinely didn’t care about Becca and Ryan. He wasn’t concerned that they were Homelander's wife and son, nor did he care if they were in danger.
Roger wasn’t about to let Homelander’s legacy become his weakness. Vogelbaum’s plea meant nothing to him today; Roger wouldn’t risk his life for this mother and child.
After watching Vogelbaum leave, Roger remained seated on the sofa.
Tek and Natasha entered. Tek looked at Roger sitting there and asked, "Do you really not care about Becca Butcher and her son?"
"I don’t care at all," Roger answered without hesitation. "But that doesn’t mean I want innocent people to get hurt. That’s why I’ve already sent Scott to rescue them."
"..."
Tek was stunned. "Scott? The guy who can shrink and grow, Ant-Man?"
"Yes, that’s him."
Becca Butcher and Ryan Butcher didn’t have any real connection to Roger, but they were still Homelander’s woman and child.
Moreover, Roger couldn’t just stand by and watch as a child barely into his teens was used as a weapon by Vought.
So, earlier that morning, Roger had reached out to Butcher from the Boys, coordinating with Scott to get Becca and Ryan out.
Once rescued, they would be sent directly to Butcher. Roger wouldn’t meet them because they had nothing to do with him.
In his previous life, Roger couldn’t even manage being a father to his own son, how could he possibly become a father to a stranger’s child now? He couldn’t take on that responsibility.
"Why didn’t you tell the doctor just now?" Tek asked again.
"What good would it have done?" Roger countered.
"How do you know Vogelbaum came on his own and wasn’t sent by Vought? Frankly, I don’t trust Vogelbaum."
Although Roger’s X-ray vision hadn’t detected any listening devices or recorders on Vogelbaum, there was no guarantee he wasn’t sent by Vought.
If they were testing how much Becca and Ryan meant to Roger, the moment he showed any concern for them, Vought would take action against the mother and son.
They could use them as leverage or for other purposes, and the two would no longer be as safe as they were now.
So, even if Roger did care about them, he wouldn’t show it in front of Vogelbaum.
Not to mention, he wasn’t that concerned.
The issue with Becca and Ryan was temporarily resolved, and Roger had no plans to meet Becca. However, he did intend to keep an eye on her son, Ryan.
The boy was, so far, the only naturally born superhuman, possessing powers similar to Roger’s. He would undoubtedly grow into a small Homelander in the future.
And for such a child, his upbringing would be crucial.
Even if he didn’t turn out like Homelander, Roger had to ensure he wouldn’t become another Homelander. Otherwise, Roger might have to "righteously eliminate" him someday.
While Vogelbaum left Roger’s place empty-handed, things were proceeding as planned over at Super Entertainment.
At that moment, most of the House of Representatives had gathered, with Vought Corporation’s CEO Edgar and Vice President Madelyn seated across from them.
This was a hearing. The House of Representatives was interrogating key members of Vought, seeking to extract benefits from them.
"Are the rumors circulating online, as well as the information regarding Compound V, true?" a male congressman asked Edgar.
Edgar sighed and calmly said, "Even if I were to say those rumors are false, you wouldn’t believe me."
"The evidence is irrefutable! What’s there to argue about?" shouted another congressman, visibly more hot-headed.
Edgar nodded. "Yes, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way, and I certainly didn’t foresee someone using such unreasonable means to bring Vought to its knees... So, Representatives, name your price. What do you want from us?"
"Watch your tone, Edgar. You think we called you here to negotiate terms?" one congressman snapped.
"Isn’t that why we’re here?" Edgar smiled.
"Vought holds the world’s greatest achievement, Compound V. We command the largest number of superhumans globally. Just as you don’t dare confront that self-proclaimed alien Homelander, you won’t dare take action against me. What else can you do but negotiate terms? Strip me of my position? Seize control of Vought? Don’t kid yourselves. You can’t."
"Edgar! Mind your current status! You’re no longer Vought’s CEO! Once all the charges are proven, you’ll be behind bars. Right now, "
Sigh...
As the congressmen shouted, Edgar sighed again and said, "All you had to do was name your terms, I would negotiate, and Vought could continue. Why... why are you being so foolish?"
Bang!
As soon as Edgar finished speaking, the head of the loudest congressman exploded like a smashed watermelon!
Fragments of skull, brain matter, and blood splattered all over the nearby congressmen. The headless body toppled backward like a poorly balanced mannequin.
A moment of stunned silence passed, and for one second, no one made a sound.
Then, chaos erupted.
"AAAAHHHH!!!!"
Everyone started screaming, scrambling to flee from their seats. Panic engulfed the entire House of Representatives.
But their escape attempts were futile. One congressman’s head exploded, followed by another.
Vought’s Vice President Madelyn was paralyzed with fear, unable to move, while Edgar nonchalantly pulled out his phone. He dialed a number and said to the person on the other end of the line:
"Stormfront, I’ve agreed. You may proceed."
...
Support and Read 10 Advance Chapters, Ahead of Others!!
https://[email protected]/dragonnx
[Replace '@' with 'a' to Access Patreon Normally]
There is 6 more exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon page!