Sage Grove Psychiatric Center, Pennsylvania | Thursday Afternoon

[defenderofdesmoines]

Again, who didn't love a field trip?

"'Sage Grove, a proud subsidiary of Global Wellness Services," MM read out from his laptop screen as they all piled out of the giant nondescript van in which they'd traveled to Pennsylvania, "which is a subsidiary of --"

"I can guess," Butcher supplied, peering through the binoculars at the huge, fenced-in facility.

Annie	Frenchie walked around handing out ID badges to each member of the team already wearing Sage Grove-embroidered scrubs -- Frenchie himself would be going in, along with Kimiko, MM, and Diego. And considering Annie wasn't wearing a set of scrubs, she was still making the argument as to why she should be, because this whole thing was not sitting well with her. "I should go in with them," she said, for what was probably the forty-seventh or forty-eighth time.
Diego	Diego took his ID badge and was increasingly impressed with Frenchie and MM's ability to pull this stuff together. The Umbrella Academy had definitely missed out on having someone considered the brains of the outfit. "It'll be fine," Diego assured her for the forty-seventh or forty-eighth time. "I think you'll be recognizable even in a mental institution. They have to have TVs."
Butcher	"They can manage without one bony, blonde Supe," Butcher added, much less nicely. "You just get 'em in, and get the fuck back, yeah?"
Hughie	"Okay, hey...." Hughie tried feebly before adding, "Yeah, people would totally recognize your face in there, Annie."
Annie	Annie clearly did not like any of these answers -- and again, fuck you, Billy Butcher was written all over her face -- but she just gave a little nod before striding over to survey the fence. It didn't help that Butcher had made them all leave their phones back in Brooklyn. Her only connection to anything going on in there (and Annie wasn't too altruistic to admit that she was pretty much worried about one person going into this facility, and then, like, it'd be nice if Kimiko and Serge and MM were okay, too) was going to be a walkie-talkie. Which Butcher and Hughie would probably be controlling, and...goddammit, this was such a bad idea.
Diego	Oh no doubt, this was a horrible idea. Just terrible. Diego followed Annie, because he knew this absolutely sucked. If the tables had been turned he'd probably have to be knocked unconscious to keep from following her. It certainly didn't help she'd have to spend time with Butcher who was just a huge asshole. "Hey," he said. "I won't do anything stupid, I promise."
Annie	"I know you won't," Annie said quietly, sighing as she looked over at him. "It's not you doing something stupid I'm worried about." She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, 'cause you know what would absolutely ruin any credibility she had with Butcher? Emotions. "Just -- listen to MM, do what he says, okay? He seems like he's got a pretty good grip on all of this." And like he had a real sense of self-preservation, which Annie was not a hundred percent on when it came to Frenchie.
Diego	"I will," he said. "Try not to burn Butcher's eyes out." If Diego hadn't known how stupid it would be he would have already tried to pick a fight by now, but he could smell "unhinged individual" all over the guy.
Annie	"I'll do what I can," Annie said darkly. She was already annoyed that she was probably spending her whole day sitting in a stupid van and maybe being allowed to use the binoculars; if she and Butcher got out of this without one of them injured, it might be kind of a miracle. "I love you," she added, a little more softly, and reached over to lightly touch Diego's arm. She wasn't going to go for the kiss she wanted to give him -- again, emotions -- but she needed to say that much before he went in.
Diego	"I love you too." Then, just to try to play this off as something not entirely stupid and dangerous he added, "By the way, you haven't commented on if these scrubs are doing it for you or not."
Annie	"I knew you'd look good in blue," Annie decided, reaching out to straighten his ID badge. (It did not need straightening.) "See if you can keep them." And hopefully they wouldn't end up covered in -- nope, not even thinking about that. MM had started wandering over, while Frenchie was still lingering with Butcher and Kimiko (something about Kimiko's jewelry?), and Annie strode over to get a word before he got too close. "Hey," she said in an undertone, hoping none of the others could hear -- including Diego, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if he overheard this. "No matter what you see in there, Diego's a normal human, okay? You got it? No matter what you see." Good job, Annie, now MM was definitely going to assume Diego was some kind of Supe. Great work.
Mother's Milk	"Sure," he said slowly, nodding. She was obviously really worried about this, so...whatever the guy could do, he probably didn't have the normal super-abled nigh-invulnerability. Either way, MM wasn't going to say a damn thing about this to Butcher, that was for sure. "We'll keep your man safe, Annie, I promise." Over Annie's head, he nodded at Diego. "You ready for this, man?" It wasn't like MM was exactly thrilled to be bringing along a near-stranger, anyway, even if he'd taken a liking to the guy.
Diego	Diego couldn't hear exactly what Annie said to MM, but he had a feeling that it involved his safety. He wasn't exactly surprised, but he wanted to look cool in front of everybody, Annie, sheesh. "Sure. My first time in a mental institution; it'll be fun." Man would he regret saying that for several reasons.
Annie	Annie heaved another sigh as Serge and Kimiko both headed over as well, and turned back to walk over to the fence. "Everyone stay back," she murmured, figuring it wasn't something she really needed to say but, you know, she was feeling kind of protective at the moment. "Hands over your eyes." She held both hands up towards the fence, breathed out a soft breath as she pulled power from the van's battery and shot a concentrated blast at the fence with both hands. There. Now there was a hole big enough for everyone to get through.
Diego	Diego exhaled slowly. "Okay. Lets get this show on the road." He wasn't exactly thrilled about going into this with people he barely knew but it was better than hanging out with Hughie and Butcher. Poor Annie. He gave Annie a small smile, trying to look casual and not like this plan was the worst. "Be careful."
Annie	Annie nodded. "You too." Seriously, he was the one doing the dangerous thing. Her biggest worry was making sure that she didn't give in to the temptation to throw Billy Butcher into the woods by the scruff of his stupid neck.
Mother's Milk	MM led the way, giving Annie a significant look as he stepped through the hole she'd created and looked back for the other three once he was on the other side.
Kimiko	Kimiko followed, wordlessly laying a hand on Annie's shoulder as she walked past. She'd watch out for your boyfriend, Starlight, don't worry. They were a good team! And Kimiko herself was a Supe, so she'd just throw herself on the guy if things went wrong! Problem solved! She trusted all of that would be easily understood with the solemn look she gave Annie, of course.
Frenchie	Frenchie trailed after Kimiko with all the casualness of a man who clearly barely slept. "Hurry, before Monsieur Charcutier decides we are taking too long," he cautioned, gesturing for Diego to go on through the hole, since he himself would be bringing up the rear. "It will be fine, both of you, stop with this dramatic shit."
Diego	Diego snorted, ducking down so he could go through the hole. "I like you, dude."
Butcher	As Frenchie followed after Diego, Butcher watched through the scope of his rifle on top of the van. ...and then he just watched Annie, there, as she started back towards the van. Walking. Making it so easy for him to focus the scope on her. He focused the crosshair over one of her eyes, where it would actually do some damage, and held it there for a long, long moment. And then he flipped the safety on with a heavy sigh. Tempting, but no.

Mother's Milk	The group had managed to pass themselves off as orderlies, as intended, and made their way through plain-brick walls with MM taking the lead. When they found a corridor of gurneys, MM peered forward, trying to see if anyone was coming, and then turned back to the other three with a significant look.
Frenchie	Frenchie turned to Kimiko expectantly, gesturing to a gurney. "Get in."
Kimiko	Kimiko simply lifted an eyebrow and nodded towards the gurney right back at him. You get in. She even pulled the covers down for him. He was small enough they could wheel him along and it would make sense! She wasn't going to ask Starlight's boyfriend to get into the gurney; he made more sense as a fellow orderly like MM!
Frenchie	Frenchie rolled his eyes and hopped onto the gurney, while MM grabbed the handles and nodded Diego towards the front, where he could steer them along, and Kimiko could walk alongside them.
Diego	Well, so far so good. Nobody had accused them of being intruders yet, so it was going better than Diego thought it would. He got in the front and led the way, trying to look like he belonged here. He glanced around, keeping an eye out for anything super weird.
Mother's Milk	"Round the corner," MM directed in an undertone. "And then left." And when they reached the little security office, MM stepped forward to knock on the door. "Open the door, I have a patient that needs help," he called, knocking insistently. "Hurry up! Please!" "What's wrong?" called the security guard through the door. "Just open the goddamn door, he's swallowing his fucking tongue!" MM insisted. The security guard opened the door. "What's wrong?"
Frenchie	"Easy," Frenchie murmured, a gun coming up from under the blanket covering him on the gurney. He fired two silenced shots into the guard's chest before he could react, and then sprang off the gurney to help shove it into the room before anyone could notice.
Diego	Diego shut the door closed as soon as the gurney was all the way in, locking it behind them. He looked around for stuff to barricade the door with, but hoped it wouldn't come to that. "That was some A+ acting there," Diego said. "How long do you think this is gonna take?"
Mother's Milk	"Ninety seconds tops if I get my way," MM said confidently, taking a seat at one of the computers and fairly immediately getting a grid of security feeds, while Frenchie parkoured up into the corner to take out the camera monitoring this room. No loose ends. "...holy fuck."
Frenchie	Each camera feed showed the inside of a patient's room, and each of those patients was...interesting. One young man blipped in and out of invisibility. One very small girl sat, about three inches tall, next to her toilet. One angry man punched hole after hole into the wall of his room. Another vomited bile into a bedpan, where it began to burn through with an audible sizzle. "What the fuck is all of this?" asked Frenchie, staring. "Vought is making more Supe terrorists?"
Diego	"They're a good way to keep people scared," Diego said, moving closer to get a better look at the screens. "...that is a lot of people." A lot of powered, probably very angry, people.
Mother's Milk	"Whoa, look at that guy," MM murmured, indicating a Supe laying on his cot and sporting a bulge in his pants that looked more like he'd shoved a loaf of bread down one leg. "Brother's got a love sausage."
Frenchie	But while that guy was certainly, you know, noteworthy, they had bigger concerns. Frenchie moved closer to the screens as a petite woman in a sweeping black cape entered one room with an orderly. "Stormfront is here?"
Kimiko	And quietly -- as she did everything -- Kimiko began to hyperventilate. Her brother's murderer, right there, where they could see her.
Mother's Milk	"Hey," MM said softly, getting up from his seat and going to put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. You're okay." He looked to Frenchie and Diego, then back at the screen. "You recognize that orderly with her?" Because he was pretty sure he did.
Diego	Diego had been momentarily distracted by the love sausage guy (was he born like that or...?), but at MM's question focused on the screen that featured Stormfront and the orderly. "Who is he?"
Frenchie	Frenchie shook his head. "Je ne sais pas," he said, agreeing that he wasn't sure, either.
Stormfront	"How you doing today?" Stormfront asked the patient warmly on the screen, as the orderly with her set two large balls on the cart he'd brought in with him. "Do you want to show us a little of what you've been working on?" The patient reached out with one hand and began to levitate one of those balls, while Stormfront and the orderly looked on encouragingly. "That is very impressive, Tim," she told him, nodding. "What about headaches? Nausea?" "No, Tim told her softly, catching the ball and holding it. "Well, that's promising," Stormfront told her orderly with a little smile. "I think we are getting close." "Ma'am," Tim asked, "can I go home now?" "Tim, you were admitted to Sage Grove because you're suicidal. You could be a danger to yourself." "Well, I'm not doing anymore of these stupid pet tricks until you let me see my family," Tim told her, defiantly setting the ball back down on the cart. "Okay. Okay. We'll work something out," Stormfront told him easily, and as soon as she turned to go, the smile fell off her face in full view of the camera.
Orderly	The orderly remained, shutting the door after her and opening a Zippo lighter in one palm. And then, in one, fluid motion, he pushed his hand out over the lighter and sent a surge of flames at Tim.
Frenchie	Frenchie was the first to get it. "Lamplighter," he whispered. "That's fucking Lamplighter!" He turned to the other three, eyes wild. "I didn't recognize him without the mask and the hood!"
Diego	"Holy fuck!" Look, he had seen some shit in his time but he was not prepared for someone to be randomly set on fire with superpowers. He had heard of Lamplighter from Annie, and now the name and the powers lined up. "What the hell is he doing here?" Wasn't he supposed to be retired or whatever?
Mother's Milk	"Fucked if I know," MM replied, exhaling sharply as Tim screamed on the screen. "But he's here."
Frenchie	"Fucking Lamplighter. Lamplighter! We have to kill him! We have to kill him!" Frenchie was getting hysterical, already pulling his gun out even though Lamplighter was obviously nowhere near. "For Madame Mallory! For her grandchildren."
Mother's Milk	"Not right now," MM told him quietly, moving from Kimiko over to grip Frenchie by his shoulders, now. "First, we got to find out what the fuck all this shit is." He glanced over at Diego, who was clearly the only one here who wasn't going to have an emotional meltdown over anyone he'd seen on the screen. "Diego, start grabbing those patient files," he said, nodding to the shelf in question with his head. "Frenchie, back on your gurney. Stick to the plan."
Diego	Diego nodded and went over to the files. This was quickly going off the rails, which was unsurprising. "We're not exactly in the position to kill a Supe right now anyway," Diego pointed out as he grabbed as many files as we could. "But at least you know where to find him now." See? You could have your revenge later!
Mother's Milk	MM's walkie-talkie buzzed in his pocket as Kimiko joined Diego in grabbing files and loading up the gurney. "Hughie?" Hughie's tinny voice came out of the speaker. "Stormfront's there!" "Yeah, she ain't all who's here," MM told him, as Frenchie hopped onto his gurney (but notably kept his gun at his side.) MM shoved his walkie back in his pocket, grabbing onto the gurney again. "Stormfront just left. Let's get the fuck out of here."
Kimiko	Kimiko walked alongside the gurney as they pushed it out into the hallway, breathing hard through her nose. Lamplighter -- of course she knew why he had to die, yes, but Stormfront. She was going to kill Stormfront, and it was all she could think about. Which explained why she didn't notice right away when Lamplighter himself came walking down the hallway towards them.
Frenchie	Frenchie couldn't resist it; he had been sticking to the plan, quietly planning his revenge -- Diego was right, it could come later, now that he knew where fucking Lamplighter worked. But he was here, and Frenchie looked up and met the bastard's eye.
Lamplighter	Lamplighter held his gaze for a long moment as they passed each other in the hallway, and then turned back to look at the group over his shoulder. He totally knew that buzz-cut guy on the gurney. He totally did. And thus, he flipped his Zippo out of his pocket, into his palm, and flicked it open.
Diego	"Shit." Of course Captain Paranoid noticed the look of recognition on Lamplighter's face. There was absolutely no thinking happening when he let go of the gurney so he could tackle Lamplighter to the ground before he lit any of them on fire. No thinking at all. Remember how he promised Annie he wouldn't do anything stupid? Yeah, he didn't remember that either.
Lamplighter	Good thing everyone here was doing something kind of stupid. Frenchie, MM and Kimiko all sprang into action a half-second behind Diego, but not before Lamplighter -- who was indeed successfully tackled -- could send a blast of fire into the wall. And, really, much more relevantly, the door in that wall. An alarm started blaring as a young woman with a shaved head stepped gingerly through that burned-out doorway, and naked fear appeared on Lamplighter's face. "Hey. Cindy," he said shakily, his hands up already. It helped that Buzz Cut Guy had a gun on him and he was a little worried Scarred Guy might tackle him again. But Cindy was scarier than any of these people. "Let's be cool, okay? You remember that extra helping of Kraft Shells and Cheese that I snuck you?" "Who are your friends?" Cindy asked expressionlessly, watching them.
Mother's Milk	"We ain't his friends," MM assured her quickly. "Go 'head, fuck his ass up." That sure would make things easy. "You're dressed like his friends," Cindy said softly. "I don't like liars." And before any of them could do anything about it, a security guard -- not the one Frenchie had shot, obviously -- came around the corner and shot a round of bullets into Cindy's back. She turned, barely affected, and held one hand up while looking at the guard. She made a fist. The guard's head exploded as soon as her fingers closed on themselves.
Diego	That was not okay. People should not be able to do that! "We need to go," Diego said, backing away from Cindy slowly. He got a knife out from the harness he had under his shirt but it wasn't going to do much if the bullets didn't seem to bother her. "Like, right now."
Mother's Milk	"Let's get out of here!" MM agreed, leading the way down the hall in a sprint as Cindy did her little move again and several of the reinforced doors on patient rooms crumpled their way open. So now there were several angry, confused powered people out of their cells and looking to get back at the people who'd put them there. You know, anyone in those blue scrubs.
Lamplighter	Lamplighter got to the security office that the group had just come from and punched in a code, shoving his way in and trying to shut the door on the rest of them. Probably would've worked, too, if he hadn't dropped his lighter and fumbled down to get it.
Diego	"Oh I don't fucking think so," Diego said, trying to push his way through the door. He'd rather be stuck in there with fire guy than trapped out in the hall with head explode girl.
Lamplighter	And given that the other three were right behind Diego, Lamplighter was pretty easily shoved aside. He pressed his back against the closed door, posing his hand over his lighter. "Stay the fuck back or I will burn your fucking skin off!" he yelled. Outside in the hallway, a voice called, "Someone help me!" right before the tiny window was spattered with blood.
Mother's Milk	The security footage they'd been watching earlier now showed that the Supes who'd escaped from their cells were wreaking havoc throughout the facility. Half the cameras were shorting out due to powers, while the other half showed unbelievable, unmistakable carnage. "Okay, listen up, man," MM said slowly. "You can burn us, but she's a Supe." He nodded to Kimiko. "So all you're gonna do is piss her off." Also, something was apparently up with Diego, but MM had promised Annie he'd treat him like a normal human, so...it sure would be convenient if he somehow had fireproof skin, too, but he wasn't counting on it. "So why don't we all just calm down, and live through this motherfucker?" It seemed like an easy ask.
Diego	Diego wasn't about to lower his knife until Lamplighter lowered the Zippo. He was fairly sure that even with diamond skin a knife to the eye would do what it needed to. He spared a glance to the havoc going on the screens. "Do you really think you're going to be able to get out of here by yourself? These people all know you're Stormfront's flunky."
Lamplighter	"Yeah, well I have the access code to get out during a lockdown," Lamplighter told Diego, raising a brow, "and I'm sure as fuck not sharing with any of you. So I'll take my chances." Clearly he was already taking his chances, since Lamplighter had gotten carried away with his own threats enough to have stepped away from the door. With a crash, a Supe came charging through the door, immediately knocking into Lamplighter. And they didn't need to wonder about his powers for long, since he pretty much immediately vomited onto Lamplighter's shoulder, which started smoking and sizzling. Oh, cool, it was the guy who puked acid. And inconveniently, it looked like that acid affected Supe skin, based on how Lamplighter was yelling now. (Not a particularly glamorous power, no.)
Diego	That was just disgusting. Any other time and Diego would let someone like Lamplighter get what's coming to him, but he did have a point. There was no way they were getting out of here without him. So with great reluctance he curved the knife in his hand to hit the pukey guy in the eye. Maybe people would just assume he had really good aim? And physics were weird in this building?
Frenchie	The vomiting Supe fell back off of Lamplighter with a cry, clutching frantically at his eye. Still vomiting, too. Except now he was vomiting up onto his own face, which began to hiss and bubble. It was all pretty gross, but at least he stopped flailing around and puking and...doing much of anything, after a moment. Frenchie, Kimiko and MM were all staring at Diego, though only Frenchie had a comment. "Nice shot," he said, clearly meaning it even if he hadn't taken his eyes (or his gun) off Lamplighter since they'd reentered the security office.
Lamplighter	"...okay, I'll help you guys." Lamplighter had clearly had a change of heart after seeing that. Scarred Guy had some serious skills. And if the girl was a Supe, she'd be useful in getting out, too.
Diego	"Good. I'm glad we can work together," he said, pulling out another knife to keep on hand. He looked over at MM. "What do we do now?"
Mother's Milk	MM was eyeing Diego with curiosity along with the others, because that was some damn good aim, though he was keeping Annie's insistence that he wasn't super-abled in mind. He could ask questions (or, more likely, just be curious forever) later; they had shit to do now. "We're gonna follow this motherfucker," he said with obvious reluctance, nodding to Lamplighter.
Lamplighter	Lamplighter ducked his head into the hallway, listening closely, and then indicated for everyone else to follow. "This way." He led the way down the now-blood-spattered hallway, into another office, and through a locked doorway into a room that clearly housed a lot of controlled substances. "We can hide in here for a second," he explained, peering through the window out into the hall. "It's a quick run from here to the front."
Frenchie	And for the first time since they'd encountered Lamplighter, Frenchie lowered his gun once they were in the room. "It's beautiful," he murmured, glancing over the shelves of pharmaceuticals as MM locked the door behind them.
Diego	Not for the first time, Diego saw a lot of Klaus in Frenchie. It sort of made him like the guy more. "Good." Annie was probably freaking out right now. The sooner they got out of here, the better. "And don't try anything stupid. Remember, I don't need to be looking at you to take an eye out."
Mother's Milk	"Is this really the time to be shopping?" MM sighed, as Frenchie began breaking glass to get to those bottles. He rolled his eyes, turning to Lamplighter. "What the hell's going on here? Y'all are juicing people with Compound V just to burn them alive?"
Lamplighter	"Maybe I just like watching people burn," Lamplighter snapped. He looked over to Frenchie. "I remember you, you know. You were tailing me the night I torched those kids." He leaned against a table, crossing his arms. "So why didn't you stop me?" He smiled, clearly enjoying being provocative. "Maybe you like watching people burn, too."
Frenchie	Perhaps unsurprisingly, the taunt had its intended effect. "File de pute," Frenchie snarled, launching himself across the room at Lamplighter.
Diego	"Hey, hey--" Diego put himself in between Frenchie and Lamplighter, reaching out to put a hand on Frenchie's shoulder. "Now is really not the time, okay?"
Frenchie	Frenchie was stopped, and instead decided to turn his anger on the entire contents of one table, flipping it over with a furious shout. "Didn't have enough fun boasting to Homelander?" he asked Lamplighter, spitting the words out.
Lamplighter	"I'm not a fucking animal," Lamplighter replied, looking a little wounded.
Frenchie	"Only a fucking animal would do what you did." Frenchie was now purposefully grabbing bottles and equipment, not looking at anyone. "You murdered innocent children."
Lamplighter	"Shut the fuck up." Lamplighter's voice was soft. "Drop it."
Frenchie	"You watched them burn alive as they cried for their maman," Frenchie continued. "If that's not an animal, then what is?"
Lamplighter	"I didn't know!" Lamplighter exploded. "I didn't know they were gonna be in that bed. It was supposed to be your boss." He was quiet for a long moment, then added, "Then they started screaming. But it was too late."
Mother's Milk	"What, we're supposed to feel bad for you now?" MM's voice was flat. "Fuck you."
Diego	Okay...well, clearly Diego has found himself in some drama. He could definitely see why Frenchie wanted to shoot Lamplighter now. "You're very lucky you're useful to us right now, man."
Lamplighter	Lamplighter shot both Diego and MM a dirty look. And you know what, she was being quiet, but Kimiko got one too just for how she was looking at him. "Why didn't you stop me?" he demanded, throwing his arms up at Frenchie. "You were tailing me, I saw you. Why didn't you stop me?" He had needed someone to stop him.
Frenchie	Frenchie was quiet, assembling some sort of cannister for a moment. "My best friend OD'd," he finally said. "I left to help him. Thirty minutes. When I came back, you were gone."
Mother's Milk	"...Frenchie, are you serious?" MM asked quietly. "All these years. We would've let you off the hook if we'd known."
Frenchie	"What makes you think I want to be let off the hook?" he whispered, concentrating on the bomb he was making. Everything was quiet for a long moment.
Mother's Milk	And then, suddenly, it wasn't anymore. Glass shattered and a roar of garbled Russian came from outside in the hallway. MM, who was standing close to the door, was suddenly seized by some sort of long, prehensile...appendage that had worked its way through the now-broken window. A very vascular prehensile appendage. "What the fuck?!" he shouted, struggling against the thing as it bound him to the door and started to wrap around his neck.
Diego	"Jesus Christ! What the fuck is that?" It was clearly a dick, Diego. A giant dick. He whipped off two knives in quick succession. Even a superpowered dick probably wouldn't take too kindly to getting stabbed.
Kimiko	Yeah, no, if the now-pained-sounding Russian from outside the door was any indication, it didn't feel good to be stabbed in the superpowered dick. It loosened its hold on MM a bit, but continued flailing around until Kimiko closed the distance between herself and the door and shot one hand neatly through the window to punch the guy -- because yes, of course it was the guy they'd seen on the camera feed earlier, not just some disembodied super-dick -- in the head. And since Kimiko, for all her smallness and shyness and silence, was so strong as to make Annie look like a weakling, the guy immediately keeled right over.
Mother's Milk	"That was his dick!" MM was shouting, helpfully, in case everyone had missed what was going on here. "That guy choked me with his dick! With his dick!" But also, you know, the hallway was clear now. There was that!
Diego	"And we can mock you for that later. First we need to get out of here," Diego said, moving closer now that the threat of being strangled by a dick was gone. He placed a hand on Kimiko's shoulder. "Nice punch."
Kimiko	Kimiko smiled at him before blowing proudly across her knuckles. She had a big brass ring that read BOSSY, which was now emblazoned across Love Sausage's forehead. And Frenchie had dared to question her fashion choices. Pff.
Frenchie	"Don't be so closed-minded," Frenchie told MM with a smile. He held up his cannister as he moved over to the door, peering out. "A knockout bomb. It'll even work on Supes." Not that there appeared to be anymore of those out there, but with Cindy around, he didn't want to take any chances.
Mother's Milk	"My walkie's not working anymore," MM noted, pulling the clearly-broken device out of his pocket. "So let's hope they didn't take off without us." Or that someone around here could help steal and/or drive an ambulance, if they needed. "And you're coming with us," MM added to Lamplighter. "Case you had any doubts about that."
Diego	Diego could hotwire a car, how could an ambulance be any different? He'd figure it out. "I'm sure we can convince him to stay," Diego said, pulling out another knife. His last knife, actually, but he wasn't going to advertise that.
Lamplighter	"You still reporting to her?" Lamplighter asked, addressing MM because he didn't want to get stabbed, punched, or knocked out by a Frenchman's bomb.
Mother's Milk	"We are," MM told him, and it was a good thing that's who he'd asked, because he was both firm and sort of gentle about it.
Lamplighter	Lamplighter didn't hesitate much longer. "Then let's go." Maybe Grace Mallory would do him a favor and go ahead and get her revenge for her grandchildren. "I'll show you guys the way out."

Annie	Once the group was safely inside and Annie reached the van again, Butcher seemed like he decided it was safe to climb down from the van. He passed the rifle -- the very same one he'd used to shoot Annie a few weeks ago! -- down to Hughie, and Annie crossed over to offer up a hand to help him down. "Here." And then, when Butcher ignored her and jumped down, she added, "Seriously? What is your problem with me?"
Butcher	"I ain't got no problem with you, love," Butcher informed her briskly, not looking over at her.
Annie	"Really? Is that why you won't even touch my hand?" Annie replied, frowning. Like, seriously, Butcher, you were acting like such a dick, considering the favor she was doing. This was absolutely not helping her mood, at all.
Hughie	"Guys, this isn't the time," Hughie tried feebly. Like he could stop these two from arguing. She was a superhero and Butcher was Butcher. On top of being oil and water, they were both going to do whatever the hell they wanted, no matter what he said.
Annie	"Oh no, I think it's exactly the right time," Annie decided, clearly irritated. "I think the time is long overdue." She moved closer to Butcher, as he ignored her and drank from a water bottle. "You know that I hate Vought as much as you do. You know that! But it doesn't even matter to you, because what you can't stand is in my blood." She couldn't fault him, in a way. Most of the Supes she now knew personally were absolute garbage. But it was still wrong. "I'm sub-human to you. Only good Supe is a dead Supe, right?"
Butcher	"Your words, not mine," Butcher said dryly, sparing her a glance.
Annie	"You know what?" Annie wasn't scared of you, asshole. "Underneath all that swagger, you're just a bigot and a bully." She surveyed him for a moment before adding, "I know another guy just like that. He's got a flag for a cape."
Hughie	"Annie." Hughie found his balls somewhere, apparently, and actually put a little emphasis into his words. "Stop." Homelander was the sorest of sore spots, and she didn't know everything.
Butcher	Butcher turned to look at her, slow and deliberate, and actually managed a very slight smirk. She had spunk, this one. She might be a Vought stooge and a worthless Supe, but she had some moxy. At that moment, before he could respond, there was a whooshing overhead. Butcher snatched up his binoculars, turning them to the facility just in time to see Stormfront touching down in a series of lightning bolts. "Oh, fuck me." He looked over to Hughie. "Get them on the walkie-talkie."
Hughie	Hughie did as he was told, and then they sat in a silent vigil for a few minutes. He didn't want to mention it, but Annie was clearly anxious -- she had been all afternoon, but once Stormfront showed up, he could see it even more clearly. So he didn't especially want to tell her what he'd seen through the binoculars, just now. "What the fuck."
Annie	Annie was doing very poorly now, yes, and it was taking all of her willpower not to pace around. Diego would be fine. Diego would be absolutely fine. Why should it matter that Stormfront was here? Nothing had really changed. Except for how they didn't know what the hell Stormfront was up to, and that Annie was pretty sure Stormfront was grossly racist on top of everything else, which didn't exactly bode great for the group inside, all things considered. But they'd be fine. They were all competent. They'd be fine. It didn't matter that MM wasn't answering the walkie-talkie anymore, okay? They were fine. And then Hughie went and said that. "What?" She reached into the van where Hughie was sitting and grabbed the binoculars out of his hands. "Give me those." She peered through the binoculars, focusing them on a window where she could see a patient. And then the patient...wasn't there anymore, replaced by a spatter of blood. "What?" Annie breathed, feeling her stomach drop.
Butcher	Butcher, who was trying to get MM on the walkie and very close to just pitching the damn thing at the ground in frustration, didn't notice the blood on the windows. He did, however, notice the gangly, lost-looking young man who was now in the field with them. The nondescript, soft clothes he was wearing were a dead fucking giveaway to where he'd come from, too. "Oh, hello," Butcher called, cautious. "Easy does it, lad. No trouble from us. You just...stroll on by, yeah?"
Annie	It only took Annie a second of hearing Butcher talk -- she'd thought that he'd gotten MM, finally, but no -- before she was slowly crossing to stand at his side. "I don't want them to hurt me again," said the thin man, about twenty feet away from them. Annie looked over and exchanged a silent look with Butcher. Them?
Butcher	"Oh, no," Butcher said, just a touch hastily as he looked back over at the guy. "No one's gonna hurt you, son. Uh...we're all friends here, aren't we?" The man looked afraid, worried, as he glanced over to the van. Hughie waved from within, awkwardly. And then, almost involuntarily, the guy seized and gave a thrust of his chest. With the motion came an invisible explosion, sending Annie and Butcher flying about fifteen feet backwards. The van, with Hughie inside, was sent rolling over itself several times. Butcher grabbed his pistol as soon as he could find it, and shot three neat rounds into the Supe's chest -- except, this boy wasn't a Supe, was he, because now there were three neat holes in his chest, and he slumped to the grass. They stood, puzzling over that for a moment, before Butcher realized it. "Hughie."
Hughie	When they got to the van, Hughie was still inside. The rolling had been exciting, but it didn't seem like that big a deal. He was kind of dizzy, kind of cold. Nothing huge. "Hey," he said, as Butcher pulled him out. "I'm fine." Except for the gigantic piece of shrapnel sticking out of his gut, and the blood that was drenching his shirt.
Annie	"Hughie." Annie almost couldn't believe what she was looking at -- she wasn't sure she'd ever seen that much blood coming out of a living person before. "Hughie," she said again, trying to get him to look at her. And then he fell to the ground, and she was screaming his name as Butcher pushed Hughie onto his back. "No, no, no, no, no, no -- "
Butcher	"Can you cauterize it?" Butcher suggested hoarsely, pulling Hughie's shirt aside to look at the wound. Butcher was trying to slip into emergency mode, to think clearly, but -- Hughie was the least prepared of any of them to take an injury like this. Fuck. Fuck.
Annie	Great suggestion, Butcher. Like, great, and thankfully Annie had actually done this before and knew that it actually stood a chance of working. She held her shaking hands out over Hughie and...nothing happened. "Oh, fuck," she said, shaking her head in panic, "the kid must've fried everything. I need power." God fucking damn it.
Butcher	"You've got a pretty shite superpower, haven't you?" Butcher yelled at her, because what the fuck, Annie, you were almost useful. "We've got to get him to a doctor!"
Annie	"How?" Annie demanded, and with all of this going on -- with Hughie probably about to die, right there in front of her -- she still looked back towards the building in panic. Fuck. Fuck, they couldn't leave them.
Butcher	"I don't know, but I'm not just gonna sit here and watch him fucking bleed out!" Butcher shouted, leaning down to pull one of Hughie's arms over his shoulders. "Come on, come on."
Annie	"No, here." Annie reached over, neatly putting one arm under Hughie's knees and another across his back. "Put his arm over my shoulders." It would be much faster for her carry him than for them to try to tote Hughie between them. "What about the others?" She already knew the answer. God, Diego, please be safe in there.
Butcher	"They're on their own," Butcher told her grimly, grabbing up his pistol and leading the way into the woods. They walked at a brisk clip, half-running, until they reached a road. "Give 'im here, you flag down a car," Butcher commanded, reaching over to take Hughie from her. He was not going to explain that he thought she had a better chance of getting someone sympathetic than he did, but that was the reasoning.
Annie	Annie picked up on that, yeah. She knew perfectly well what she looked like -- and hopefully out here, she was far enough away from the city for anyone to immediately recognize her as Starlight. Though, if they did, maybe that would help? She flagged down the first car that came along, a modest sedan that slowed to a stop without hesitation. "Hey, what's the trouble, miss?" asked the guy behind the wheel. He was affable and friendly, clearly very willing to help. "Sir," Annie told him, hoping that he'd just...inexplicably go along with this. "I need you to get out of your car." "What are you talking about?" the guy chuckled. Annie looked up the road, to where Butcher had Hughie limply leaning into his side. The man looked, too. And now he was stepping out of the car, slowly.
Butcher	"FBI," Butcher lied immediately in greeting. "I need to commandeer your vehicle. Bit of an emergency." "Jesus," the stranger said, walking over in concern. "What happened to him?" "Long story, that," Butcher said. "Can I see some ID?" the man requested. Seemed reasonable. "Left it in me other pants," Butcher replied. "Too busy saving this one, but you can call my boss." "Yeah, okay. Uh, look...I'll...I can get you guys to the hospital, but we're out in the middle of nowhere. I'm not going to give you my car," the man said, because that was just crazy talk. "Have it your way," Butcher said with a sigh, turning to walk away. Oh, no...actually, just going to set Hughie on the ground.
Annie	And Annie, instinctively, knew what would come next, and she really, really didn't want to see Billy Butcher murder this man for his car. "Butcher," she hissed, striding over to them as he laid Hughie down, gently. "Butcher. Don't." The man with the car took the opportunity of both of them having their backs turned to reach into his glovebox. Annie turned to look at him when she heard the click. Oh, fuck. "Stay back," the man cautioned, levelling a pistol at the pair of them. "Whoa, okay -- " Annie held up her hands placatingly, ignoring the thumping of her heart as she carefully moved to put herself between Butcher and the man with the gun. "I said stay back," he said, calm as he pointed the gun at them. "That's not necessary," Annie tried. "Let's just talk!" Use our words, everyone? "The FBI?" The guy was moving to close the distance between himself and Butcher, now. "Yeah, right. You're not even American. Wh -- what, is he even hurt? What is this? Some kind of scam?"
Butcher	Butcher, now with his own pistol in hand, slowly stood from where he'd been crouching next to Hughie. "If I wanted to boost some wheels, it wouldn't be a fuckin' Hyundai, you daft cunt," he said, slowly walking over towards the man. "This is a stand-your-ground state," the man with the car cautioned. "You stay back!" "Oh, you can stand wherever the fuck you want," Butcher told him. "I'm taking your keys."
Annie	"Butcher, stop," Annie commanded, insinuating herself between them again. She turned to the driver, shaking her head. "Buddy, just put the gun down." "I said stay back," the man said shakily, keeping his gun aimed at Butcher. "I said," Annie replied, forcefully, "put it down." Several things happened next, in very quick succession. First, the man put his finger on the trigger. Then, his car started to sputter, the headlights illuminating on their own. Finally, the man was sent flying by a blast of pure gold light, and he didn't get back up. Annie ran over, kneeling at the man's side, and pressed her fingers to his neck. There wasn't a pulse. Shit.
Butcher	Butcher walked over, slowly, watching her rock back on her heels in what seemed like disbelief at the man's death. He knelt beside the body as well, immediately reaching into the man's pocket to take his keys. He looked over at Annie, not saying anything as he stood back up.
Annie	"You couldn't have just listened to me and stayed back?" Annie yelled after him as he walked back over to Hughie, before looking back down at the man -- at the corpse -- on the ground. She felt...guilty, yes, but not the sadness she was used to. Annie had prayed over every person who she'd ever killed in the line of duty and even wept for most of them, but right now, all she could feel was a vague, sick sense of guilt, the same throbbing worry over what was going on back at the hospital, and the panic-driven immediacy of how she needed to help Hughie.
Butcher	"Cauterize it!" Butcher replied, not really feeling like that was a relevant question right now, Annie, if you don't mind. He draped Hughie across the trunk of the car, pulling his shirt up and away from the wound to give her room to work.
Annie	Annie steeled herself as she strode over, her hands hovering over Hughie's midsection. Her eyes and hands illuminated as the car's engine turned over in response. And, just like when she'd done this for Diego (don't think about Diego right now), she knew it was going to hurt. Hughie, who had been drifting out of consciousness, moaned against Butcher's shoulder as she burned him, his skin fusing around the piece of metal extending from his abdomen.
Butcher	"That won't hold long," Butcher said, though something in his tone had gentled. "Come on." He ushered Annie into the car, pushing Hughie into the backseat beside her as he threw himself behind the wheel. They drove off, leaving the man's body in the middle of the road.
Annie	Annie, for her part, was trying very, very hard not to look at the child's carseat next to her. That man had been a father. And now he was nothing, because of her. "He's burning up," she told Butcher as Hughie's head lolled onto her shoulder and she reached up to gently feel his forehead.
Butcher	"I'm going as fast as I can," Butcher told her evenly, meeting her eye in the rearview mirror. A moment passed before he added, "I appreciate what you done back there."
Annie	"Oh, thanks," Annie said, putting an arm around Hughie's shoulders to try to support him. "Your approval means everything to me."
Butcher	"And some sarcasm to stick the landing. Nice one," Butcher commented, not exactly disapproving. A moment later, "You didn't have a choice."
Annie	Annie was quiet as she felt Hughie's forehead again and tried to keep her mind off that blood-spattered window back at the hospital. "You know what I was thinking, when I was looking at him?" she said after a moment. "'Why'd you pull a gun, you stupid fuck?' That's all. Maybe once I would've cried over him, but...now he was just another person in our way." She didn't really like this new version of herself, but at the same time -- you know, maybe she'd kind of outgrown the old version, a bit?
Butcher	Butcher didn't say anything, but he did flick his gaze up to the rearview mirror again, watching her quietly.
Annie	Annie caught the look. "No," she said flatly.
Butcher	"No what?" Butcher asked, genuinely unsure what she was talking about.
Annie	"No to that fucking look of quiet respect, or approval, or whatever that is," Annie told him, shaking her head. "I don't want it." Butcher looked away in the mirror, now, and she felt compelled to add, "We're nothing alike. Nothing." But she caught herself looking towards the mirror again, as they drove Hughie towards help.

[this insanity brought to you by The Boys 2.06, "The Bloody Doors Off." Content warnings for: strong language, death, descriptive gore, talk of suicidal ideation, imprisonment, and a giant prehensile penis. Yes.]