"What... such overwhelming power..." Reynolds stared dumbfoundedly at his hands, his expression filled with confusion. He could feel his body brimming with energy, far exceeding any state he had experienced before. Not even the high he achieved through stimulants came close to this feeling of raw, unbridled strength.
He struggled to process this newfound strength. While Reynolds had always been a superhuman, he was nothing more than a second-rate speedster compared to A-Train. Although his physical strength and durability slightly surpassed the baseline of speedsters like Pietro or Barry when they first gained their powers, it was nowhere near the level he was experiencing now. At this moment, Reynolds even felt like he could... fly.
As if to confirm this thought, his body trembled slightly, and he began to float off the ground. The realization that he could now fly sent an overwhelming wave of excitement coursing through him. While Vought's various superhumans displayed a myriad of abilities, only a select few could truly achieve self-propelled flight. The pinnacle of these was, of course, Homelander.
The mere thought that he now shared an ability with Homelander thrilled Reynolds. Homelander was the face of The Seven, Vought's most powerful and celebrated hero. To possess an ability similar to his meant that Reynolds might finally break through to the upper echelons of Vought's hierarchy and become a household name himself.
However, this brief euphoria quickly faded as Reynolds sobered up. The surge of power might have given him a taste of freedom and possibility, but reality sank its claws back into him. Even if he became a superstar like Homelander, what difference would it make? He'd still be nothing more than another pawn in Vought's games. Every action, every decision would still be dictated by the company.
With this realization, Reynolds let out a bitter laugh. No matter how strong he became, the truth remained unchanged—he was, and always would be, one of Vought's countless test subjects, shackled and unable to gain true freedom.
At that moment, in another part of Vought Tower, Homelander—having just completed a psychological counseling session—heard the commotion caused by Reynolds. His confidence, which had been shaken after the confrontation with Robert's energy wave, had been somewhat restored thanks to the session.
As the top hero of The Seven and Vought's most prized asset, Homelander felt it was his responsibility to handle this situation personally. No one else should be allowed to undermine Vought. Without waiting for approval or instructions from his superiors, Homelander launched himself toward Reynolds' location.
In a twisted irony, both Reynolds and Homelander were acting outside of Vought's established protocols. While Reynolds had completely lost control, Homelander's actions were also a form of insubordination. His need to prove his worth and reassert his dominance was overriding the strict guidelines that dictated his behavior.
Homelander's overreaction wasn't entirely surprising. Despite his restored confidence, the humiliation of nearly being obliterated by a single attack still gnawed at him. He felt an urgent need to reaffirm his status as Vought's golden boy. After all, Homelander understood all too well what happened to those who lost their value to Vought—they were discarded like trash.
"Homelander?" Reynolds' ears twitched. His enhanced hearing, significantly amplified by his recent transformation, picked up the faint sound of someone flying toward him. Despite Homelander's attempt to approach at a controlled speed to avoid causing structural damage to the building, Reynolds recognized the distinctive sound immediately.
Soon, Homelander arrived, floating ominously in front of Reynolds. His expression darkened when he saw Reynolds hovering in midair. "You can fly now?" he asked coldly, his tone dripping with contempt.
To Homelander, flight had always been a symbol of his superiority. Among the myriad powers within The Seven and Vought's other heroes, few could match Homelander's speed, precision, and sheer freedom in the air. Even those whose strength or durability rivaled his—like Queen Maeve or Soldier Boy—lacked this defining ability.
For Homelander, flight wasn't just a power—it was his personal badge of dominance. To see Reynolds, a test subject of far lower standing, now sharing this ability was an affront he could not tolerate. If not for Vought's rules, Homelander would have eliminated every superhuman capable of flight long ago.
Now, as he stared down Reynolds, the mere thought of someone encroaching on what he considered his territory filled him with fury. Without hesitation, Homelander decided that Reynolds needed to die. A failed experiment like him had no right to exist, let alone fly.
"Yes, it seems I can fly now," Reynolds replied earnestly, oblivious to the murderous intent in Homelander's eyes. Just as the words left his mouth, Homelander launched himself forward, aiming to crush Reynolds with a devastating blow.
BOOM!
A deafening crash echoed throughout the building as Homelander smashed through walls and support beams. Despite the impressive display of speed and strength, his attack failed to connect. Reynolds, now fully accustomed to his enhanced reflexes and perception, had easily evaded the strike, moving out of harm's way with a single, fluid motion.
"Hmm? What just happened?" Vought's executives, watching the scene unfold through surveillance footage, were left stunned.
Reynolds' ability to combine flight and speed so seamlessly caught their attention. This level of adaptability and precision was a significant leap forward compared to his previous capabilities. Many of the executives, initially dismissive of Reynolds, began reevaluating his potential.
The head of the faction that originally oversaw Reynolds' development was already scrambling to take control of the situation. He had no intention of letting this promising test subject slip through his fingers. If Reynolds truly had the potential to rival Homelander, his faction could seize immense power within Vought.
Meanwhile, Homelander was seething with rage. "You dare dodge me?!" he roared, his frustration mounting. In his mind, Reynolds—a failed experiment—should have been obliterated by now. The fact that Reynolds had dared to evade him was an unforgivable act of defiance.
Homelander's eyes glowed red as he unleashed his heat vision, twin beams of destructive energy streaking toward Reynolds.
To Homelander's dismay, Reynolds once again dodged effortlessly. For Reynolds, the heat vision was slow and predictable. He sidestepped the attack with ease, leaving Homelander fuming.
However, while Reynolds avoided the heat vision, others weren't so lucky. Homelander's unrestrained attack carved through the building, incinerating everything in its path. Dozens of Vought employees were caught in the crossfire, their bodies reduced to ash. Even the reinforcements sent by Reynolds' faction were annihilated in the chaos.
In a matter of moments, the situation spiraled further out of control. The area surrounding Homelander and Reynolds became a death zone, with no one able to approach safely.
Vought's high-ranking executives, watching from their secure rooms, felt a chilling sense of helplessness. For all their supposed control over their superhuman assets, this incident laid bare the fragile nature of their authority. Without direct contact, their carefully crafted fail-safes and protocols were useless.
"Didn't Homelander just finish his psychological counseling? Why is he acting like this?" one executive growled, furious at the apparent failure of their efforts to stabilize their prized hero.
"Get the doctor who treated him in here! I need answers!" barked another, slamming their fist on the table.
The doctor arrived shortly after, presenting footage of the counseling session as evidence. The video showed Homelander's demeanor returning to normal during the session, but the sudden alarm and Reynolds' rampage had clearly triggered him once more.
"I don't care what caused this!" one executive snapped. "What I want to know is how we're supposed to fix it!"
The doctor hesitated before offering a tentative suggestion: "If Homelander neutralizes Reynolds, he might calm down."
"Absolutely not!" The head of Reynolds' faction slammed the table in protest. "We cannot let Reynolds die! He's the most promising test subject we've ever had!"
The room fell into chaos as the executives argued. While many prioritized protecting Homelander, others saw Reynolds as the future of Vought's superhuman program. However, no one had a clear plan to stop the escalating violence.
For Reynolds, the odds were stacking against him. Unless his newfound powers surpassed even their wildest expectations, his fate seemed grim. In a world dominated by Vought's machinations, freedom was a fleeting dream—one that often came at the highest cost.
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