Homelander: Shouldn't I Be Angry?

The next day, all was quiet on the New York front. Qi Li simply curled up with Kate on the dorm sofa, turned on the television, and dug into the fresh gossip about Starlight, who had catapulted straight back to the top of the trending charts. "Member of the Super Seven, America's sweetheart, the once dazzling Starlight—has her light dimmed for good...?" "Starlight's controversial, bombshell speech at the Believe Expo has ignited fierce debates both online and offline. Some stand with Starlight; others brand her a harlot... Is this a total breakdown, or a triumph?" "Queen Maeve: 'Of course, I’ve always cared about Starlight, and I support her unreservedly in everything!'" "Man on the street: 'I just want to know who the bastard was that shoved his... into her mouth! Starlight ought to take that piece of shit out...'" Kate watched the news broadcast. Because of Qi Li, she had never gotten along with Starlight, but this time she offered rare praise: "Starlight's got guts." Toying with Kate's gorgeous blonde hair, Qi Li smiled and quoted the famous slogan, "Girls help girls?" Kate gave him a side-eye and scoffed, "Hardly any of the women who keep spouting that actually have any real courage." Fortunately, Kate had never been a feminist, nor did she care to associate with such people. Influenced by Qi Li, she leaned more toward pragmatism—with, at most, a slight hint of superhuman supremacy. Qi Li recalled what Starlight had told him on the day of the Race of the Century. He had assumed she was merely facing workplace bullying, never expecting it had gone even further—that she had actually been sexually assaulted on the job. Come to think of it, he wouldn't get assaulted too when he joined, would he? He hadn't heard of anyone in the Super Seven being gay. At most, maybe Queen Maeve might have a go at him. That... wouldn't be so bad at all. Then again, the real subject of Starlight's speech the night before hadn't actually been about who shoved what down her throat. It had been a critique of fanatical believers who condemned anyone non-Christian to judgment; an indictment of the Church caring only about raking in cash while turning its back on its original ideals; and, at the same time, an unapologetic rebellion against having her entire life controlled. It was just that the masses were vulgar, naturally drawn to the sleazy and sensational. Just like the news on TV, going back and forth, all fixated on Starlight's assault. Well, Qi Li and Kate were pretty vulgar too. Case in point—Kate asked with eager curiosity, "Qi Li, who do you think it was that forced himself on her?" Qi Li gave it some serious thought. "Unlikely to be an ordinary person. Probably one of those guys in the Super Seven..." Just as the two of them were dissecting the matter in a spirit of rigorous academic inquiry, Qi Li received a call from Vought. A few minutes later, he hung up. Kate had caught bits and pieces and asked with concern, "What happened?" Qi Li glanced at Starlight on the TV screen and shrugged. "Just pushing back my scheduled announcement date by a few days. Who knew I'd be the first one affected by Starlight's fallout?" With Starlight's scandal raging at fever pitch, rushing to introduce him as the new team member right now would likely fall flat. Vought had therefore decided to postpone it a few days until this current media frenzy died down a bit. Furthermore: "Starlight's buzz right now is absolutely explosive. Her approval rating hasn't dropped at all—it's skyrocketing! We're putting together a brand-new, even grander publicity campaign. We're having Starlight host your Super Seven welcome ceremony, Bronze! Trust me, the day you and Starlight share that stage, global media will blow sky-high!!!" The head of Vought's marketing department had gushed over the phone, practically bursting with excitement. Fair enough. Qi Li was reasonably inclined to defer to the professionals, even if he always felt like his karma clashed with Starlight's—she seemed to trip him up at every critical juncture. If everything happening right now were a movie or a TV show, Starlight—with her sky-high screen time and knack for stirring up storms—would undeniably be the female lead. So who would the male lead be? Certainly not an ordinary person; it had to be a superhuman. It couldn't be him, given his multitude of female companions. Homelander? Very likely. Come to think of it, the guest originally slated for his announcement ceremony was Homelander. Now that he'd been replaced, he wouldn't be mad, would he? Definitely not. He was Homelander, after all. *** Vought Tower, 99th floor. Wearing a dark scowl, Homelander strode up to Madelyn's office door. He started to push it open, but thought better of it and gave it a knock instead. "Come in," a mature female voice called from within. Homelander pushed the door open and stepped inside. Madelyn had already risen from her desk, greeting him with a warm smile: "What's the matter? Who upset our superhero?" Homelander walked over to the sofa, meticulously sweeping his beloved Stars and Stripes cape to one side to ensure it wouldn't get creased, before sitting down stiffly and squarely. He looked up at Madelyn, his mouth twitching rapidly, and retorted, "Shouldn't I be angry?" Madelyn understood immediately what this was about. She sat down beside him and said softly, "You mean Bronze joining the Super Seven, right?" Homelander's face instantly dropped into a thunderous scowl. "I am the captain of the Super Seven! Every single member! And I mean *every single* new member must have my prior approval! Now out of nowhere, some guy just waltzes into the Super Seven, and I seem to be the last person to know about it. That is a direct insult to me, Madelyn!" Madelyn hurried to soothe him: "You will always be the captain of the Super Seven. No one can ever change that." Then she explained, "It's just that this time, the decision to bring Bronze into the Super Seven was made personally by Mr. Edgar." "Stan?" Homelander's furious expression froze instantly, like a child caught saying the wrong thing by a parent. His eyelids fluttered in rapid blinks, and his gaze began to wander unsteadily. After a moment, Homelander pursed and twitched his lips side to side, tilted his chin up slightly, and strained to make his tone sound like a professional inquiry rather than an emotional outburst: "As I recall, right now is a critical juncture for passing the military contract bill. Didn't the company decide long ago to cover up the fact that Translucent was murdered? Why at a time like this would we bring in..." "Bronze," Madelyn supplied. "Bronze! Right, that guy." Homelander nodded hastily and looked at Madelyn. "Bringing him in—won't that make it impossible to hide Translucent's death?" At that, Madelyn reached out with practiced ease, stroking Homelander's cheek with motherly tenderness. A flicker of infatuation and bliss crossed Homelander's eyes. Seeing this, she continued to stroke his cheek, explaining gently, "Circumstances are always shifting. Covering up Translucent's death would certainly preserve the superheroes' invincible image. But sometimes, tragedy moves hearts far more than strength. Translucent sacrificing himself for American democracy, freedom, and peace will win us far more sympathy votes." "As long as we tell the story right."