The Boys: Season 1 - Harbinger Rising

Chapter 15: Balance

I was honestly surprised those cuffs were able to hold the female Supe. But I always thought that she could break through them at any time and was just saving her strength. While Butcher and M.M. were out, me and Frenchie were placed into guard duty in a safehouse Frenchie owed, which was fortunate since they both knew I had powers. I was sitting in the chair watching our unfortunate prisoner while Frenchie was cooking.

The arousing smell his cooking produced tortured my enhanced senses, thankfully, it stopped when he entered the room we were in and handed me my plate.

Frenchie: "Here you go."

Me: "I ought to throw you across the damn room for torturing my senses like that."

Frenchie: "Enhanced sense of smell?"

Me: "Sight, hearing, taste and touch. But I practically use three instead of all five. Now I'm about to use the fourth one."

Frenchie then sets the 'table' for the female and sits on the floor. As he smiles I read the females' emotions: Even though she didn't show it, I knew she was pissed and wanted to kill the both of us. Brutally.

Frenchie: "I think you can understand us. It's in your eyes. Can you speak?"

The female remains silent. Either she was completely mute or was completely just uninterested in the conversation.

Frenchie: "Tell me what you know mon Coeur. So we could find these fuckers who did this to you, so I can get you back home."

I think that last part pressed a button because she knocked away the food Frenchie fixed for her and lunged straight at him with the sole desire to kill him. If it wasn't for the chains holding her back, he would be as good as dead.

Me: "I think you should give her some breathing space, Frenchie."

Frenchie: "Yeah. I guess I should."

Frenchie cleans up the mess while being sure to stay out of the female's reach and leaves us in the room. She soon begins to look at me with malicious intent.

Me: "You wanna kill me. Don't you?"

The stare she was giving me was an obvious 'yes'. So I decided to try something most people in my situation guarding a superpowered killing machine would call stupid.

I put down my plate and slowly walk up to the female while showing signs I wasn't a threat, she backs away as I get closer until she is back at her corner.

Me: "What's stopping you? I'm in your kill range, you got a chance at ending my life. So why won't you take that chance?"

She continues to remain silent and uncooperative. But her emotions on the other hand: I could sense her fears slowing rise steadily behind the face she was making. She knows I'm a Supe but isn't fully aware of what I could really do.

Me: "You know I'm a Supe, don't you? You saw firsthand in the basement when Frenchie released you."

She tries to hide her fear behind anger as I inch closer.

Me: "Hide your fear all you want, you know you can't kill me even if you tried. That's why you're hesitating right now as I speak. . . . But it doesn't have to be this way; we don't have to be hostile to one another."

Her hostility slowly begins to disappear as I continue to speak.

Me: "I know the fear that haunts you most; the fear I'll keep to myself for the time being. But I need you to trust me before I can help you. That's all I ask."

I soon sense a familiar presence nearby and smile before waiting for her to appear. Frenchie reenters the room and sees me smiling.

Frenchie: "The hell you smiling about?"