Butterflies Volume II

Chapter 20

"Okay satellite view has Mindstorm's place about two miles in, due west," Hughie informed them as Billy swung open the boot of his car letting Soldier Boy grab his gear.

"Two miles?" Billy questioned, already tired from the drive over, "fuck me. We could've parked closer. So, do you mind telling us what we're walking into here?"

Leaving Hughie to get the Temp V sorted, Billy turned to Soldier Boy who stared off into the greenery that surrounded them. In his hand was his permanent supply of weed, the green of his suit almost blending him into the scenery completely.

He spun to them after taking a puff, "all you got to know is, if he tries to make eye contact with you, close your eyes."

"Or what?" Hughie wondered.

"Just don't make eye contact with him, then you got nothing to worry about," his fake smile was wearing thin, and so was their attitudes towards each other.

The car ride was silent most of the way and Billy missed Violet's presence. If he turned on the TV it would be about her, if he turned on the radio it would be about her; there were all the reminders that he let her just be taken like it was nothing. So much for the Temp V letting him save her when she couldn't save herself, because in that moment Billy had done nothing to save the woman he cared for. And Soldier Boy treated it like it was a betrayal, but Violet wasn't that person.

"Hey, why do you keep buying him, like, hefty bags full of weed?" Hughie lowered his voice as Billy got out his bag full of the vials.

"Better high than mental," Billy said, "takes the edge off his PTSD."

"Wait he has PTSD?"

He nodded, "yeah, I saw it at herogasm. It's why he keeps blowing the fuck out of everything."

Hughie hesitated with what he wanted to say next as Billy fiddled with the syringes.

"And how are you after herogasm, I mean... With Violet gone?"

Huffing, Billy checked his shoulder to see Soldier Boy facing away from them and said, "I feel the same as I did when she was at the facility and I could do nothing. God knows what he's fucking doing to her, so this has to be a quick job yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah of course," Hughie also looked over his shoulder, but with nerves Billy would avoid doing so as he filled the syringe with Temp V.

It likely was not the smartest idea to keep someone so self medicated around so close to where he could blow up, but if he could end up harming himself Billy would be fine with it. Though then again, as he looked down at what was in his hands, he couldn't speak. He wasn't much better than Soldier Boy clutching at weed and alcohol, because he needed the Temp V. He handed Hughie one syringe and sighed, because underneath it all they both were becoming just as bad as Soldier Boy. One last job, let him just have Homelander, and then he can be done and be with Violet the way it should be.

It would take at least half an hour to walk to their destination, which should be al lright given their current location in the green trees, but it only made Billy more antsy. Thankfully the trees were green and showing signs of summer, because now it seemed any leaf that was orange reminded him of Becca. The leaves dying like his memory of that day fading away the more he tried to move on. In all he had done to fight to save Becca and get revenge for her, he had now begun to move on from it in favor of someone else. It was strange, how his objective changed, and it was almost shameful.

"What'd you say?" Soldier Boy shot around from ahead of them.

No one said anything. There hadn't been a word for several minutes. Billy relayed that to Soldier Boy who looked unconvinced, and Billy looked to Hughie with a sudden feeling of regret. Maybe getting him so high wasn't smart, but they couldn't have the carnage that was herogasm.