A Conveniently Scary and Secluded Warehouse in New York | Late Friday Night

[defenderofdesmoines]

She shouldn't be here. But she also had to be.

She shouldn't have used her clearances to find out where this was. But she'd had to.

And Starlight certainly shouldn't have snuck quietly into the back door and taken out four different black ops guys. But she'd had to.

Stupid fucking Hughie Campbell. Stupid fucking superheroing.

Hughie	This all just sucked, like, so much. Frenchie had taken a bullet to the leg, and was trying to keep pressure on it while directing Hughie on how to shoot a machine gun. Like you did. MM had managed to grab the girl -- Kimiko, right, they knew her name now -- and carry her to their little hiding spot without getting shot, but they were just so fucked. One of their number was passed out. One was shot. One was competent, but that didn't matter, because Hughie had used up all the bullets while shrieking, "I'm sorry!" and shooting fairly without aim at the black ops guys. And then, you know, since he hadn't hit everyone, the guys just followed where the fire had been coming from and rounded the corner, guns trained on the huddled group. "Stand the fuck down! Drop your weapons!"
Starlight	This was the scene Starlight walked into. And, thanks to a few months patrolling with a guy who actually knew how to be sneaky, she actually managed to keep her arrival a secret for the few seconds she needed to. She clung to the shadows, watching as the guys with guns turned them on a few slumped figures against a wall. Hughie, she recognized. There was a bigger man, who seemed out of breath but otherwise okay, and a slight guy with his arms around an unconscious girl about the same age as Starlight and Hughie. So. Four people to save. One of them unconscious. She could do this. She just had to get the -- timing right. "Get on your fucking knees!" one of the agents yelled, as the guys on the ground quickly moved to comply. "Hands on your heads!" And that, obviously, was Starlight's cue.
Hughie	Hughie was all set to die. He turned around to face the wall, his hands plastered to the back of his head. He could see Frenchie move out of the corner of his eye, Kimiko still on the ground in front of them. Maybe the agents would move her? Maybe they didn't care about her as much, right now? Maybe Butcher would come in and -- no, probably not. Maybe he'd get to see Robin again. There was a bright surge of light from behind him, accompanied by a tinkling of glass, and Hughie watched one of the agents go flying over his head. He, Frenchie, and MM all hesitantly dropped their hands, turning around to look over their shoulders like they couldn't believe they were still alive.
Starlight	Starlight had broken one of the overhead lights when she'd blasted the agent, and it was raining sparks down over her head, but she barely cared. She shoved her hand into the next guy's midsection, shooting him up into the rafters with an angry little grunt. The next agent got backhanded across the face before Starlight threw him across the room, into some crates. And the third she barely looked at, sending a bright, furious blast at him as she crossed the room to check on Hughie and his friends.
Hughie	Hughie could feel Frenchie and MM's eyes on him, but he just smiled. His knees were maybe kind of weak. They weren't going to die after all; let him deal with that for a second, please. "You came," he said softly, when Starlight was close enough to hear him.
Starlight	"Like you said," Starlight said, huffing out a little breath of annoyance, "I'm a fucking superhero." And she was here to fucking save you all. "This way," she added, jerking her head towards the back doors she'd come from. "Can she -- do you guys have her?" She could carry the unconscious girl, but she'd rather have her hands free.
Hughie	"...yeah," Hughie said a little lamely, as MM hefted Kimiko up into his side and Frenchie got her other side. (That's right, Hughie was letting the injured guy help carry her, but like...Frenchie was totally into her, okay? Hughie was pretty sure he wouldn't have let him help.) They followed Starlight down the hall and started trying the bay of garage doors to see if one was unlocked. "Come on, come on -- "
A-Train	"Holy fucking shit." A-Train's voice rang out in the big, empty space as he walked -- walked -- into the light so he could get a better look at Starlight. And don't think he didn't notice your sneaky ass letting three of those people just slip out that door, there. Hugh Campbell was staying behind, and you know what, Homelander might have had intel on some boyfriend but there was something going on with these people. A-Train's heart was pounding, since he hadn't exactly expected to run into fucking traitors when he'd shot up all that V earlier, but it would just make him better for whatever was coming. "Homelander was right. You are a fucking rat."
Starlight	"Turn around and walk away, A-Train," Starlight said in a commanding voice, stamping down on the fear that immediately spiked into her. She turned to Hughie, who was being a fucking idiot by staying behind, and hissed, "I've got this. Go."
Hughie	"I'm not leaving you," Hughie said with a shake of his head. "I'm the one he wants."
Starlight	Starlight just stared at him for a long moment, because regardless of whether that was true, Hughie's presence was just going to make this harder. "Please," she said, more quietly as she turned back to A-Train. "Just go."
A-Train	A-Train did not go. He stood there, watching Starlight from the other end of the warehouse, cracking his knuckles and considering his next move.
Starlight	Starlight was too smart to think that his current inaction meant no action at all. Her hand flexed at her side as she shut her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, they were glowing. "Hughie," she said softly. "Either get out of here, or shut your fucking eyes." Without waiting for his response, the broken lamp surged again, and Starlight sent a blast of light towards A-Train.
A-Train	The thing about being the fastest man alive was that A-Train was already out of range the second he heard the light start to crackle. He dipped and dodged around pillars, avoiding her blasts and watching the sparks fall through the air. It was only a second or two before he was up in Starlight's face, her still sending a blast of light towards where he'd been milliseconds ago. A-Train didn't have to do much -- he just reached out and gave her a hard shove, sending her flying backwards.
Starlight	Well, damn, that actually kind of hurt. The surprise didn't help at all. Starlight landed on her back, the wind knocked clean out of her. She could see A-Train starting towards her, but then -- goddamn fucking idiot. "Hughie!" she called, her voice low as she tried to get her breath back. A-Train rounded on Hughie, and from where Starlight was, she couldn't hear what they were saying. A-Train was sweating, and shuddering, and at one point grabbed Hughie by the shirtfront -- fuck. And then he was down. A-Train collapsed to the ground, groaning and clutching at his chest. "Wha -- what's happening?" Starlight grappled to her feet and made her way to Hughie's side, staring down at A-Train.
Hughie	"I think he's having a heart attack," Hughie said in disbelief. And once that disbelief had passed, he was on the ground again, pressing his hands down on A-Train's chest in timed compressions. "Call an ambulance!"
Starlight	Starlight watched him for a moment, frowning -- it was...tempting to just leave A-Train. And if it was tempting for her, then Hughie -- whose girlfriend A-Train had killed.... She just kind of had to sit with that for a second. And then she was slapping her wrist to call up her radio. "This is Starlight -- I have a code 78-65. A-Train is down." With that taken care of, she turned back to Hughie. "Get the hell out of here. Now."
Hughie	Hughie rocked back on his heels, looking up at her. "He's breathing, but -- okay. Are you sure?" Sure, he'd probably go to jail if he stuck around, but he needed to know she'd be okay, too.
Starlight	"Go." She was tired, it was the middle of the goddamn night, and she hadn't wanted to come here tonight anyway. And now she needed to come up with a cover story for why A-Train was slumped on the floor, dying of a heart attack, that didn't involve her blasting him. This was so awful. This nightmare was her life, and it was awful.
Hughie	Hughie scrambled to his feet, reaching out to Starlight and dropping his hand lamely when he saw her face. "Okay. I -- thank you. Thank you. You saved us," he said, needing to get that much out, and turned to go out under the garage door where MM and Frenchie had disappeared with Kimiko. "I'll, um, be in touch," he added over his shoulder.

[preplayed with myself, warning for violence and language, taken from The Boys 1.08, 'You Found Me,' and that's a wrap on season 1! can be open for calls/texts if you have a reason to be calling or texting Annie in the middle of the night. *eyes*]