"Damn it, Homelander is leaving. Frenchie, you need to get out of there!"

Butcher, who had been keeping an eye on Roger, saw him leaving his spot and heading backstage. He quickly relayed this information to Frenchie through their radio.

The team had come to A-Train's race today not to watch two damn Supes compete but because they had learned that A-Train was injecting a substance called Compound V.

They didn't know exactly what Compound V was, but judging by A-Train's behavior, it seemed like a drug, something that excited and addicted people. A-Train was high on Compound V when he killed Hughie's girlfriend. Now, A-Train had taken a significant amount of Compound V, and they hoped to find his stash in the locker room.

Frenchie, a jack-of-all-trades from France, was currently in the empty locker room searching for Compound V. He hadn't found anything yet, but now Homelander was heading his way!

Earlier, Starlight, who had changed into a rather revealing superhero outfit, had intended to enter the locker room, but Hughie managed to call her away, preventing her from discovering Frenchie. But who could stop Homelander now?

"What? Now? Damn it!"

Frenchie cursed on the other end of the radio. He hadn't found anything yet and was about to be caught. His heart pounded, almost leaping out of his throat.

He quickly decided to abandon the search and escape through the ventilation duct using a rope. Just as he climbed up, the locker room door opened, and Homelander walked in, locking eyes with Frenchie.

"...I'm done for."

Seeing Homelander enter, Frenchie felt a surge of despair. He thought he was a goner. He regretted ever listening to Butcher's nonsense and opposing the Supes. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have encountered Translucent, learned about A-Train and Popclaw's relationship, or discovered Compound V. Without that knowledge, he wouldn't be here, about to be caught by Homelander...

As his life flashed before his eyes, Frenchie recalled his past regrets and mistakes. He was certain he wouldn't survive. The rest of the team stayed silent on the radio, knowing Homelander could track them if he heard their voices.

To Frenchie's surprise, Homelander didn't incinerate him with his heat vision. Instead, he seemed to ignore Frenchie, walked to his locker, and took out a civilian outfit.

"?

Frenchie was filled with questions. The scene felt surreal, like a dream.

After a while, the team, not hearing any screams from Frenchie, finally asked:

"...Frenchie? Are you okay?"

The one asking was a burly Black man named Mother's Milk. It wasn't a codename; it was his real name, Mother's Milk. It didn't sound like a person's name, but it was his.

Mother's Milk's question brought Frenchie back to reality. He replied:

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I'm... I'm fine..."

He spoke softly, afraid that Homelander might hear him, even though he knew Homelander had already seen him. Despite Homelander's indifferent demeanor, Frenchie instinctively kept his voice low.

"Fine?"

Mother's Milk and Butcher were stunned. They had prepared to mourn Frenchie, and Mother's Milk had even composed half of a eulogy. Now, Frenchie was saying he was fine?

Just as Frenchie was about to explain, Homelander spoke:

"Being fine now doesn't mean you'll be fine later. A-Train's race is about to end. Are you sure you want to stay here?"

Roger looked at Frenchie, who was still clinging to the rope.

Frenchie couldn't believe it. He asked:

"You're... not going to catch me?"

"If you stay here, I might. But if you leave now, I won't. So, are you staying?"

Roger half-joked, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere and earn the protagonists' goodwill. Clearly, his identity couldn't put Frenchie at ease. But Frenchie wasn't foolish; seeing Roger's leniency, he quickly escaped through the ventilation duct.

As he left, Roger said:

"I'll come to find you later. Don't worry; I won't hurt you."

Frenchie didn't respond, focusing only on escaping. But Roger's words were heard by the entire team. They all knew Homelander had targeted them.

Watching Frenchie leave, Roger opened his locker and looked at himself in the mirror.

"Am I that scary?"

Ashley and Frenchie had both been terrified of him. Roger knew it was because he was Homelander, but even Homelander hadn't done anything to Ashley. As for Frenchie, he hadn't even met him before. They had no reason to fear him this much. Or was it just a fear of powerful Supes...

As Roger pondered, the locker room door opened again, and Starlight, looking weary in her revealing costume, walked in.

Seeing Roger, she hesitated and said:

"Sorry, I didn't know you were here..."

"It's okay. I wasn't planning to change here anyway."

Roger, holding his civilian clothes, looked at Starlight's new outfit and said, "Looks like you accepted the PR department's suggestion."

"Uh... yeah... I signed the contract..."

Starlight sighed.

Roger closed the door and said to her, "Honestly, this outfit doesn't suit you."

"Really? You think so?"

Starlight asked, surprised.

Roger smiled and said:

"I'm sure I'm not the only one. Talk to the PR department. You can't break the contract, but at least you don't have to wear this on screen or at events. Frankly, I find it... distasteful."

Starlight's new outfit was essentially a modified swimsuit with boots and gauntlets. Some viewers might like it, but Roger thought it was inappropriate for her.

After chatting a bit, Roger left the locker room with his clothes. Outside, he ran into Maeve.

"Where are you going?"

Maeve asked, eyeing his civilian clothes.

Roger checked to make sure no one was watching and said to Maeve:

"To handle some personal matters related to Vought."

"You want to go against Vought?"

Maeve looked at Roger like he was crazy. She knew this wasn't the old Homelander, but the shift from Vought's staunch supporter to enemy was too drastic. She couldn't accept it.

Roger said:

"I'm not trying to fight Vought. It's just that what I'm about to do might involve them. Maeve, you know I'm not the real Homelander. If Vought finds out, what do you think they'll do to me? I'm just trying to protect myself."

Maeve was stunned by his words.

Seeing her deep in thought, Roger walked past her. She suddenly called out:

"Take your phone with you. I don't want to search the whole city for you again."

Maeve didn't try to stop him, realizing she was already involved. The girl Roger had saved, Maeve couldn't hand her back to Vought. Even though she no longer aspired to be a hero, she couldn't let an innocent girl fall into Vought's hands. So, whether she liked it or not, Maeve was now opposing Vought, at least for now.